Blind Vision
by Itonami
Summary: [Neji x Sakura] Sakura finds that she can't heal all the wounds of battle. Neji finds it hard to live without regrets. Especially with her.
1. Prologue

**Itonami: **Yes, I'm back with another Neji x Sakura, though this will be short like _Rain's Sonata_. Hopefully, you'll like this one and find it in your heart to support me again. I'll start off with a prologue.

Disclaimer: I checked this morning, and I still don't own Naruto.

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**Prologue: The End**

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It was a quiet dawn as always and the hands of an elegant clock drew patiently with time, though it was said that time was something much more mysterious than mere clocks. There was silence all around the large oriental manor, the trees quivering from the warm chill that had begun to settle in the air.

The sky was painted in red and yellow hues as the sun stretched forth and it shined its rays through the thin rice paper doors of one of the rich bedrooms. However beautiful this golden light was, the man sleeping fitfully on white futons did not notice it. The lean man tossed and turned with blankets abandoned and thrown aside on the floor, forgotten as his mind ensued with chaos.

This was a morning ritual. No matter the day, rainy or sunny, the man awoke startled and afraid, reliving something beyond his capabilities, causing him to be helpless and weak. Dull white eyes snapped open and their owner sat up in bed, rubbing a sweaty palm across them, soothing an intense pain away. Silky brown locks fell over his back and firm shoulders, while bangs proceeded to gently shield his face from the light.

Not to say that he needed it.

A knock on his door notified that a servant was waiting with breakfast. He ate alone in his room. "Hyuuga-sama, your breakfast is here. Will you take it?" A meek male voice belonging to a young servant boy came through to his sharp ears.

"Aa." The young man sat up fully as he heard the door slide open with an all too familiar scraping sound. He faced away from the door, waiting for the boy to leave the tray on the floor and leave. The servant did so.

Hyuuga Neji, a thoroughly accomplished ninja of Konoha, the Hidden Village of the Leaf, stood to dress. He reached for his gray training garb and tossed it on casually with accustomed grace and then pulled his long hair in a low, loose ponytail. Putting on his usual forehead protector over an enigmatic symbol, he sat down to eat.

After the breakfast, he slid open the door to the dark outside world that held nothing but fighting and blood for him. He could never forget the color of blood.

His stroll through the quiet, forest parts of the village usually went undisturbed, but he never knew what path he would take another day. Walking to the east, where he felt the sun's warmth the most, Neji soon turned his head to the sound of rushing water, a different sound than usual from what he heard.

When he was at least a hundred feet away, the Hyuuga felt the presence of strong, compact chakra. He automatically conjured up a genjutsu to conceal his own and slipped a hand into his weapon holster as he slipped past two trees, closer to the other shinobi.

The recognizable sound of an airborne weapon as it whistled towards his back gave him time to duck quickly and dodge another set of kunais hurled his way. When he landed on his feet, the ground beneath him crumbled as if an earthquake had struck, almost causing him to lose his balance. A smirk now took its place on the Hyuuga's handsome face.

"Oh, Hyuuga-san, you scared me." A voice that was slightly quickened by activity could be heard.

"Haruno," Neji greeted politely, never forgetting his manners in front of the Godaime's prized apprentice.

Haruno Sakura carefully wrapped her naked body with a towel. "I didn't know you liked to walk here." She knew of his habits.

He shook his head and turned away from her to face somewhere far off. "I'm sorry to have disturbed your bath. Continue. You know I can't see you anyway." The splashing in the water had given her private activity away. Sight was of no use to him; he now relied completely on his other senses.

The young woman before him frowned at the mention of his once legendary eyes. "With or without your eyes, Hyuuga-san, you are still a man and I, a woman. I was done anyway."

The blind Hyuuga pursed his lips. "Then you will accompany me back to the manor. I don't remember where I came from."

Sakura smiled at him and knew that what he had just spoken was a lie. Hyuuga Neji had excellent sense of direction and he didn't need his eyes to know which way to go. But she would gladly service his amusement, her willowy figure dripping wet from the water and clad in a mere cloth.

She carried her clothes and sandals as she treaded on the dewy grass, waiting for his dark, tenor voice to speak to her again. Sakura had known him for so long, it felt like eternity. She also knew of every scar on his torso, his legs, and a jagged one embedded in his hip; she treated him countless times during training and missions.

Sakura gazed at the tall figure of the Hyuuga beside her, wondering in silent amazement how easily he walked without faltering or having anyone guide him. It wasn't that he could walk without tripping, but the air of compressed confidence yet the evidence of humbleness surrounding him that truly made her stand in awe. She had been there when his eyes were injured in the S-class mission and through that painful moment when it was revealed that he wouldn't be able to see or use the clan's Byakugan.

Perhaps that day was the most heartbreaking moment of her life.

She had a glimpse of the raw pain of being reduced to half the ninja that he was. Maybe it was the way everyone would feel if they lost the one thing that made them who they were.

However, his loss of not being able to see, of being completely swallowed in the darkness, only made him stronger. Neji trained harder, this time focusing on the ability to fight without his eyes and to lessen the odds against him. His training was brutal and she often stood nearby just in case he took it a step too far. Admiration didn't begin to cover the emotion that she felt when she looked at him. His once brilliant snowy orbs were now the palest shade of gray, displaying its own new beauty of color. The beauty of him, the new Neji, as if he had been born again from the ashes just like a phoenix. This time he emerged fully grown and mature, with a beginning of a legend about the first Hyuuga leader to not possess the ability of the Byakugan.

"Is something on my face? I did recently have breakfast."

The coolness of his voice surprised her out of Sakura's thoughts and she blushed a little in embarrassment. "Iie, it's nothing, Hyuuga-san."

Neji's soft eyes slowly moved as if they could see her and delicate eyelids blinked over them once then twice. "My dreams have not stopped yet."

Such a sentence coming from him sounded like something insignificant, but Sakura knew that he said it in all seriousness. He had finally confessed of his continuous nightmares only last year. She asked, "What do you dream about?" but she already knew the answer.

"You know of it. That mission where I lost my sight." He said it so calmly that she was the one aching for him.

"Don't you miss it, Hyuuga-san? Your sight?"

A ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "Miss it? Of course, Haruno, but no one grows by living in the past."

It was true, those words, and Sakura couldn't help but see him as a man who had seen much more than what she could ever hope to see. He was only a year above her senior but the difference between them made it seem like ten. Neji stopped walking.

Confused, Sakura halted her steps and glanced back at the male shinobi. "What is it?"

The Hyuuga shook his head and caught up to her. "Does tea sound good?"

Again, puzzled at the sudden inquiry, Sakura looked at his face curiously, only to trip over a stone in the path. An amused chuckle resonated from his throat.

"You should have known that the path leading to the manor is rocky." He said softly, stooping to help her back on her feet.

The cobblestone road snaking along the ground to the front steps of the clean porch was uneven. Sakura's face was flushed and Neji could almost feel the heat coming from them as she smoothly took his hand and got up. The distance between them was close, so close that their clothes were grazing against each other.

Neji cleared his throat and began walking once more and she followed behind him. He reached the stairs and hesitated as he always did before taking off his sandals. The clan patriarch slid open the door and beckoned her inside.

Between the Hyuuga and the Haruno, there was an unspoken bond of mutual trust that allowed each other to be open and comfortable. If he needed to talk, somehow he ended up at the door of her cozy apartment and vise versa. Love was not included in this unofficial contract, but a rather simple relationship, perhaps even a friendship, which kept them going.

They knew of the other to be broken inside.

Neji, as leader, was undeniably strong, but at times there were moments when he was tired to being strong. Nightmares plagued him every night and each one ended with an explosive pain in his eyes. Missions were difficult, especially on foreign ground, and the stress of not being able to see mounted with each assignment. Not even a man like Neji could be strong all the time.

Sakura was a very busy kunoichi, where she fought enemies and treated allies. Chakra was depleted at every battle, and she could barely manage the strength to keep up with the speedy Anbu team on their return home. There was also a secret heartbreak, something that she hadn't been able to let go. For women, love was a complicated thing.

The pair of ninja sat down at a cherry wood table with two cups of steaming green tea between them. Sakura ran a hand through her pale pink tresses and smiled at the man in front of her, knowing that he could feel that smile. "I will need to change. I'll come out dressed more appropriately."

Neji smirked and waved her away, in a barely teasing manner, and heard her get up from the futon. He at times wondered what the famed medical ninja looked like now. He could only vaguely remember her as an attractive girl with pink hair and sea-green eyes. This was the image of her five years ago.

It was a few minutes' wait before he heard her sit across from him. "Hyuuga-san, tell me what happens in your dreams." This was the first time she requested this of him, and Neji felt obligated to tell her.

'_It starts with the end. It was raining hard and the mission had been to retrieve the stolen forbidden scroll of the Sand. We had succeeded but at a costly price. All that I could feel is the coldness of the mud and all I could see was the darkness that shrouded around my eyes. I was numb and I lay still on my side until someone pulled me on my back. I knew I had my eyes open because I was blinking from the rain.' _

_'But I couldn't see anything at all. I was blind.'_

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**End of chapter notes:** This was short, but bear with me. This is just a prologue, mind you. I'll write much longer chapters later. If you notice the last sentence, I like to end with evil cliffhangers.

Yes, Neji can't see. He's as blind as a bat. But, I will make him a superb ninja! Don't worry! Neji wouldn't be Neji without some kickass moves. Of course, Neji isn't Neji without his Byakugan, but that's exactly the point. I'm trying to show Neji in a different light and I hope it turns out the way I want it to. I don't usually plan ahead for stories. I just write what comes to me.

The next chapters will be a complete flashback to the mission where Neji lost his sight. It will not be told in his POV since I rather dislike writing in first person. It just doesn't get my point across as well. I will include a epilogue with this (of course) and I look forward to pleasing you once more.


	2. Chapter 1

**Itonami:** Long wait! I apologize! Here's the second chapter. It's not as good, but it the next chapter will be better…I hope. The introduction made things hard. I had to come up with how to make everything flow together.

Disclaimer: I discovered a year ago that I didn't own Naruto. How disappointing.

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**Chapter 1: Blindness

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_BOOM_.

A brilliant flash of light was all he could see and the earthshaking explosive sound that followed it filled his ears. He was thrown back forcefully, the side of his body scraping painfully on the ground. The scorching temperature savagely attacked him and he could feel its incinerating heat making its way through the eye slits of his mask. An agonizing pain burst behind his eyes; his eyes felt like they were ablaze and they watered without intention.

Then, all of it receded into nothing, the woods now harmless as it was before. The sudden intense heat from the explosive contrasted dramatically from the cold of the autumn rain. Everything was dark and the fallen shinobi could barely hear anything. He did not move from where he was on the ground on his side, his breath erratic and hollow. He could hardly feel his arms clutching a small, tattered scroll safely from the falling downpour of the sky.

A shadowy figure sprinted toward the still body, wet, dark rosy hair matted around its slim shoulders. Falling to its knees quickly, it flung off the mask covering the face to reveal a female ninja with astonishing green eyes that were clouded in worry and anger. A stiff, bloody hand reached out and gently pulled the man on his back. Her breath became visible in white clouds when she let out a sigh of relief. She tenderly wrested the scroll from his death grip and put it between her knees securely.

"Hyuuga-san, can you hear me?" The woman was startled when she saw him grope awkwardly to push aside his mask, which was burnt and scarred beyond recognition. His other hand grabbed her arm tightly as if holding on for a provisional support. The kunoichi helped him with his mask and was relieved to see no unsightly injuries to his face.

"Hyuuga-san?" She inquired gently while patting his hand in reassurance. There was no answer but a blank, lost look in his eyes. Something was wrong. She watched in shocked silence as he raised a hand to touch his handsome face then his eyes, and saw those white orbs widen.

Hyuuga Neji almost choked on his own noise of surprise in his throat. He could see nothing. Nothing. He felt his eyes and rubbed them over and over. He felt someone touching him, near him, but he could hear only hear distant murmurs. The person seemed to be inspecting him.

The female beside him immediately got to work when she found the torn side of his body. Placing her hands on his bloody side, she emitted a soft pressure of chakra to stitch up his wound. Rain flowed down her face and blended softly with her own blood, stinging her eyes as she worked, but she ignored it and concentrated on healing her commander.

The Hyuuga recognized the chakra. The only person on his team who could heal like this was Haruno Sakura. "Sa…ku…ra…" He managed, almost delirious from shock and pain, and he could hardly hear what he was saying.

"I'm almost there, Hyuuga-san. You don't need to worry. Just hold on." She assured him while trying to inject some cheerfulness into her hoarse voice.

"Can't…hear…" Neji shook his head and tried to resist her healing. The kunoichi called Sakura firmly restrained his struggles.

Leaning down so her mouth was right next to his ear, Sakura whispered, "The deafness is probably from the sound. It will wear off in a few minutes."

Neji shivered from her warm breath that tickled his neck and earlobe but he could hear her better. He stopped and tried to calm down. He could feel himself shake uncontrollably, from the distress and the chill. The pain in his side dulled and soon faded and the Hyuuga started to sit up. Sakura helped him up, supporting his back and neck, her hands warmer than his entire body.

True to her word, after a few more minutes of eerie silence, he began to experience a new sound. It was one of the most melodious noises that he had ever heard. The sound of rain. He closed his eyes to drink in that sound greedily, for a moment forgetting that Sakura was beside him.

"I can't see. Will it wear off soon?" He asked her with his eyes still closed, his voice sounding ragged and tired.

Sakura smiled. "I think so."

"Do you have the scroll?"

He felt something circular being pressed into his hand. "Congratulations, commander, mission was successful." She whispered, feeling all of her worries drain away with the rain.

The Hyuuga felt something catch in his throat. "The others?"

There was a raw pause. "They didn't make it." Sakura's voice was almost inaudible as she said those words.

Six ANBU lives had been lost. It wasn't supposed to be a suicide mission but the odds had turned against them. In a last desperate attempt, they had all set off the explosives to kill off all of the enemies at once. Wounded and scarcely alive, they could not escape in time. Their names would be etched on the Memorial Stone along with all the other fallen heroes of Konoha.

Sakura had managed to fling herself against a tree and felt the ends of her hair singe as the explosion swept like wildfire around her, burning her uniform and exposed hands. She saw Neji fly past her with the impact of the detonation. He had been even closer to the explosion than she had been.

But the two of them were alive, escaping death by a hair and they sat on the muddy ground of the forest, silent and listening to the precious sound of rain. It was dark.

"Come, we must find a place to rest. It will not do us any good to stay here."

Neji's logic sounded reasonable and so Sakura wordlessly helped him up to his feet, and steadied him. "Can you travel?" She asked softly. He nodded.

Slowly, the pair trudged south where they knew a small town with an inn. Neji was not used to not being able to see and he struggled along with Sakura as a patient guide. He detested this feeling of dependency.

Haruno Sakura spotted lights up ahead after hours of frustrated traveling, and felt relief flooding through her like a river. "Hyuuga-san, I see lights."

Luckily, the forest had opened up and they were on the road, making it easier on Neji's blindness. Sakura entered the quiet inn and asked for a room with two beds. The inn keeper, taking pity on them, did not take money and showed them to a cozy room with a fire crackling merrily in the fireplace. The two comfortable-looking futons appeared invitingly warm and soft, one on each side of the cheerful room, the blankets white and made of rich cotton. The wooden floor was of dark cherry wood, giving the entire space an oriental mood.

"Thank you." Sakura said softly to the old man. The old inn keeper gave them a generous amount of fresh towels for a clean bath and to clean up their wounds.

The kunoichi took a basin of water and dipped in a cloth. Without speaking, she undid the grey ANBU armor around Neji's chest. Laying it aside, she peeled off the shirt that clung to his toned torso gingerly. Sakura wrung excess water from the cloth and began dabbing away the dried blood and mud. Patience was a gained virtue.

Neji felt her carefully washing his body and did not protest. He was rather grateful for her maternal ministrations and remained still, even when she accidentally jostled a bruise or two.

When Sakura was finished, she gazed at him for awhile, uncertain of what to do. She got up and shyly asked the kind man for two extra shirts and pants, if it were possible. She returned to their room with the clothes and handed a shirt and a pair of pants to Neji.

"The old man was kind enough to lend us his clothes." She said while she turned away as he changed out of his torn uniform.

The Hyuuga remained silent. He heard the quiet rustling behind him and though he could not see, he respectfully kept his back to her until she was finished. The silence between them was only filled with the crackling of the fire.

"Get some rest, Haruno. We have to return quickly as possible tomorrow." He said, wanting to help her into bed and make sure they were not in any danger. Without sight, he could not do so.

"Hai, Hyuuga-san."

A small smile made its way to his face when he realized the formality of her address. "Have you always called me that, Haruno?"

Sakura looked up from detangling her wet hair. "Yes, I have always called you that."

He looked distant. "There's no need for such respect. I don't deserve it."

She got up from her futon and made her way to his, sitting cross-legged behind him as she proceeded to brush his long hair.

"You are older than me, Hyuuga-san. I respect my elders."

He snorted. "I am only a year older than you, Haruno. Don't make me sound so aged."

Sakura giggled and only responded with a gentle tug on his locks. Then she said, "You act so old, Neji-san, since you are the next heir to the Hyuuga clan."

A bubble of satisfaction arose in the pit of his empty stomach when he heard the change of his name. It sounded better. It sounded right.

The light, humorous exchange of words soon became solemn again. Neji turned and grabbed her hand from running through his hair absently. "Thank you. We should go to sleep."

He felt her nod her head and the second weight on the futon was lifted. The gentle patter of feet went away from him and then he heard the blankets shift a little when she slipped under the covers.

"Good night, Neji-san."

"Good night, Haruno."

"Sakura will do, Neji-san."

A pause. "Good night…Sakura."

Sakura smiled and she closed her eyes as she reached for the long-awaited slumber.

Sleepy senses woke up to panicked noises. At first, Sakura was so tired that she couldn't register the strange, scuffling sounds into her brain. Something told her to wake up, to help. Jolting up from the bedding, her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness like a cat and spotted the struggle in the other futon.

"Neji-san!" The words burst out of her mouth easily as she ran to his side.

Sakura could hear the shinobi grunt in pain as he clutched his eyes while he thrashed around, unhindered and blankets tossed aside. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed his forehead to the hollow of her shoulder, trying to allow his body some time to recover from the obvious pain going on inside his body.

Neji's breathing was harsh and forced, as if he had to consciously remind himself to breathe properly. His body convulsed wildly at the nasty, burning pain in his head. Something warm ran down his face and hands that were covering his eyes.

Sakura froze at the warm sensation that flowed down her back and between her breasts. _Tears?_ She wondered in a puzzled manner. It was then that the sickeningly familiar stench of blood met her nostrils.

Quietly, trying to calm her own self down, she slowly pulled away from Neji and steeled her mind to meet the most grotesque sight that she would see in her lifetime.

It was so horrible that she had to force herself not to look away.

The moonlight revealed the bloodstained eyes of a Hyuuga, and the blood that spilled down his face like tears was almost black as the sky outside. Sakura, as intelligent and brilliant as she was, did not know any causes for such a symptom. Neji's breathing was spastic and terribly irregular but it seemed to be on its way to recovery. That was the only positive note. The bleeding from his eyes did not stop and there was nothing that Sakura could do to stop it. She could only wrap them with bandages and change them when the blood soaked through them.

She could only wait by his bedside, cleaning his face occasionally and changing the cool towel on his head to keep the fever away. Sakura could remember countless times when she had felt this helpless in missions. She could not help but cry. Neji's life was in her hands.

The kunoichi had fallen asleep with her head resting on her knees that were drawn up to her chest, a gleam of the morning's sun hovering over her cheek. It was late morning when Neji woke up to nothing but the darkness. He did not know what time it was. The Hyuuga touched the cloth around his tender, swollen eyes but did not know what had happened. He could not remember anything but the intensity of the pain.

"Sakura?" He called out hesitantly, wondering if she was in the room at all. Neji felt something stir on the bed beside him and a small warm hand grasped his own.

"Neji-san?"

The slight panic inside of him ebbed away when he heard her drowsy murmur. Neji's body relaxed visibly while Sakura sat up and rubbed her green eyes tiredly.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you." He muttered in displeasure. His face winced slightly at the pressure from a damp cloth.

There was no word from her. Instead, she started to sob. At first, it was only a muffled little noise that Neji couldn't discern but then it gradually increased in volume. He felt her hot tears splatter on his hand and he knew that something definitely had to be wrong for a strong kunoichi like Sakura to be crying so openly. He reached out his hand and only touched air until he moved it to the right to find her wrist.

"What is it? Did I upset you?" He asked apologetically. His only reply was her weeping and her sudden embrace. Caught by surprise, he wasn't sure what to do and so merely stayed still.

"I'm so sorry, Neji-san." She whispered brokenly.

"Sorry for what?" The Hyuuga could feel the impending dread nearing him.

"Your blindness…" she swallowed hard, "…will be permanent. Your eyes…they bled a river last night. Your retinas are probably torn to shreds."

Bitterness over took him and a sour taste coated his tongue as if he had taken a bite out of a rotten fruit as he slowly comprehended her words. Neji pushed her away. "You must be joking. I do not find it amusing." But he knew.

He knew the world would not be the colorful, lively one that had been known to him. Now his world would be black, a world where night never ceased and light could not penetrate. Hyuuga Neji was blind for life. He was now bound to be the slave of this incapability and he possibly could not continue as the ninja that he was before. His lips curled in a leer as he found it ironic that the master of the Byakugan, the inheritor of such a privileged eye bloodline, now held no vision. Irony was always more bitter than sweet.

His sight had always been the item of which he was praised for and the most precious thing to him. His snowy eyes had been the source of his power and genius. She knew. Sakura knew that he was consistently confident, almost arrogant, and she knew how much he loved being a ninja. For his eyes to be taken away from him it was like taking away a runner's legs, and therefore Neji could not be who he was before.

Sakura watched with pitying eyes as he angrily wrenched himself out of bed and stumble across the room to find the door. "This can't be happening…" He snarled under his breath.

His hands were out in front of him as he ungracefully felt for the doorknob. Upon find it, he flung it open and kept his hands on the wall to guide him. There were a set of stairs that he was led up last night and he could barely make his way down them. He kept repeating, "This isn't happening…this isn't happening…"

She followed him outside where he caught his foot on a large stone and fell to his knees. Desperately, he got to his feet and dragged himself a couple of feet before sinking to his knees again, shame and confusion washing over him. He ripped off the bandages from his eyes, as if they were the only things hindering him from seeing the sun again. Sakura ran to his side and begged him silently with her body for him to stop. That day was the first and last day she saw him cry. If she could, she would have saved the few tears that fell from his pale eyes because they seemed too costly to fall on the ground.

"You can't give up here, Neji-san. What would happen to your clan? What would happen to Hinata-chan? You can't just leave me out here either." She said softly, sternness masking the sadness in her voice.

"What do you know!" The Hyuuga snapped this time a blind rage coming over him. "You dare accuse me of giving up when you have no idea about giving up!" His voice rose a notch louder. "You don't know what it is like to have an entire clan look to you! I am blind! I cannot use the clan's bloodline ability! Do you understand how worthless that makes me!"

Sakura frowned in her own anger. "I know sacrifice!"

He scoffed in disgust as if her words were the boldest set of lies ever told to him. "You've sacrificed? _You_ have sacrificed? You haven't sacrificed anything! Everything that you have hasn't been taken away from you, has it? You have not lost your ability to heal! You haven't lost the ability to even _see_! You think you know sacrifice? You don't know anything!"

Sakura drew back from him in shock, her emotions wavering between fury and desolation. "I have given up everything just to become who I am." She began softly, the volume of her voice almost drowned out by the heavy breathing from the enraged Hyuuga.

"But perhaps you're right, Hyuuga-san. Maybe I don't know what it means to sacrifice. But I do know how it feels when you've lost something precious." The kunoichi let out a sigh. "Come on, we have to go and return the scroll to the Godaime so that she can give it back to the Sand."

Neji was breathing heavily from his angry outburst and he refused the tug on his hand to help him up. He wanted to stay behind and not do anything. The realization that his sight was lost to him eternally wore him to the bone. The strength to deal with the world vanished with Sakura's companionship.

The Hyuuga remained out in the morning, like a homeless man just waiting to die. Sakura gazed down at him from the window and sighed. Her temper had gone away when she acknowledged that he needed some space and time to deal with the recent shock. Watching him become like an inactive stone, Neji reminded her of the Sakura that had once existed.

Strangely enough, it was like seeing another one of herself. Sakura remembered that same shock drown her. Her precious something was dead, just like the Hyuuga's vision. She knew that pain and she had felt it once before and again this day when she saw Neji cry for the first time. She had seen it in those dull, lifeless eyes when he shouted at her out of resentment and anger.

"You don't have to be this way, Neji-san." She whispered to no one in particular. The room remained silence for her.

The autumn afternoon dragged by slowly, the occasional wind accompanied by colorful leaves visited the poor Hyuuga on the ground. Neji tried meditating, but felt that it no longer had any effect on him. He staggered up by himself and he adjusted when he no longer felt her quiet presence beside him. Hesitantly, he took unsteady steps forward with arms stretched forth.

Gritting his teeth in frustration and at the sudden mental image of himself looking like a fool, he worked his way back up the stairs into their room, and felt her presence there, though not as cheerful as it usually was. His pride kept his mouth shut from saying anything to her. Neji carefully sat on his futon and was surprised when something was placed in front of him.

"Eat. The old man made some lunch for us." She said in that same quiet tone when she was tired of arguing.

Quietly, he sat there and did nothing. Clearing his throat uncomfortably, he asked, "What is it?"

This would take time getting used to.

It severely degraded his ego when Sakura helped him eat his food. It could be considered rather a low blow and it took everything he had as a man not to refuse the food. Sakura did not laugh nor did Neji feel that smile of hers, which helped ease him a little.

After the meal, Neji calmly remained silent before speaking aloud. "We should leave right away. Konoha is still a fair distance away."

"My thoughts exactly." She replied a little dryly.

"I don't believe we have much to pack." He said, getting up.

"I'm going to put bandages on your eyes. I don't want them to get infected." She said. The Hyuuga heard shuffling noises and then felt a soft cloth over his eyes. She wound the roll of bandages thrice around his head and then the loose end was tucked in at the back. "There, I'm all done."

A gentle yet firm hand descended on his elbow and Neji felt a slight pull forward. They once again went down the stairs and personally thanked the old inn keeper, who only smiled and wished them luck in wherever they were heading, and the pair of them ventured out into the late afternoon air.

The journey back was uneventful albeit a little stressful due to Neji's inability to see properly. The pair of shinobi did not speak to each other, still uncertain of their temper. Neji could not think of any of the words to say to his uncle and the rest of his family. There was no way he could tell them.

"How will you tell your family?" Her quiet voice interrupted the war raging in his mind.

"I don't know." He said honestly. "A Hyuuga without the Byakugan ability…that has never happened in our history before."

"I see," Sakura mused to herself.

The gates of Konoha stood proudly and welcomingly. Sakura could not suppress the feeling of immense relief as she saw those gates creak open for them. A smile automatically made its way to her pretty face and felt a new breeze.

"I'm home again." She whispered.

They as quickly as they could through the alleyways to the Hokage Tower, where they met Tsunade. The Godaime looked grave when she inspected his eyes.

"Sakura was right. Your eyes…are too torn up to fix. The blood that you bled out of your eyes was all from when your retinas were torn. The impact and the heat fro the explosion have permanently damaged your sight." She sighed and touched his eyes endearingly. "I'm afraid I don't have any power to fix your eyes…I'm sorry."

Neji felt everything crumble around him.

"I will have to tell my family." He said quietly.

Tsunade nodded. "I regret sending you on this mission." She looked away.

Neji stood. "No one lives by regretting."

Those words would haunt Sakura throughout the next five years.

* * *

**Ending notes:** Wow, sorry for the wait. I had to restart it twice after writing five pages of the draft. It was horrible.

Thank you so much for all of your reviews! You never cease to amaze me.


	3. Chapter 2

**Itonami:** Another chapter up. I have noticed a vague pattern with my updates. One every week. Give me a maximum of a week to update. Hopefully, I can hold you to this unofficial patter of updating. Thank you for your support. You know how much you all mean to me.

Disclaimer: If you squint, you won't see my name on the cover of the manga.

* * *

Chapter 2: Seeing Another Day

* * *

Sakura was walking beside the rather quiet Hyuuga as his eyes to the Hyuuga complex. Her mind was submerged in thought. The little pathway leading to the house was uneven. "Watch your step." She said, slowing down for him so that he would not trip. Neji instinctively tightened his grip on her slender wrist.

When they reached the steps of the house, several servants rushed out and fussed over their young master. "Neji-sama, what has happened? Your eyes!" Neji shook his head at them in order to calm them and turned to where he sensed Sakura's presence.

"Will you not come in?" He invited.

Without wishing to, Sakura felt that it was an invitation out of mere routine politeness which made her shift her fingers a little in anger. Curtly, though it was never really in her personality to be curt, she bowed. "Iie, I'm sure you don't really want to entertain a person who doesn't know what it means to sacrifice. I'm sorry for what's happened. I'll be going now." She didn't know if the Hyuuga had the heart to be offended by her words.

Neji caught himself before he let out an angry, insulted scowl. He seemed to look at her for a minute, and she was almost lost in those strange eyes of his. He turned away from her at last and advanced his foot on one step. "I don't believe I'll see you again, Haruno. Then, this will be our good bye."

The words stunned her. She hated how they sounded so familiar.

Without another word of acknowledgement, he allowed himself to be led up the porch steps and he disappeared into the house.

Sakura glanced at the doors and headed down the uneven pathway again. Something tingled behind her eyes, but the kunoichi firmly ignored it. She _really_ needed some sleep. Desperately.

The blind Hyuuga was led to his room and was left alone. He sighed and sat in the middle of it, wondering what kind of transaction had gone between the medic and him. The familiar smell of the room relaxed him just a little until he sensed someone outside of his door. He heard someone slid it open and step inside. The chakra was immediately recognizable.

"Hinata." He said, his shoulders visibly losing their tension. He had thought that it had been her father. Neji wasn't quiet ready to face the Hyuuga leader just yet, but he was glad for his cousin's presence.

The younger Hyuuga cousin, Hinata, gracefully overcame the small surprise at being predicted. The servants had informed her that he couldn't see and she could see the bandages around his head. "N-Neji-niisan, are your eyes…r-really…"

"Useless?" Neji finished for her. A small, cynical smirk twitched at the corner of his lips. He reached up to slowly undo the bandages. They fell into his lap in a heap and his dull, unseeing orbs were available for his cousin to see.

Hinata emitted a small gasp of shock and quickly knelt in front of him. "Oh, Neji-niisan…this is so bad…" She whispered sadly. "D-Does it hurt?"

Neji shook his head and turned away as if ashamed. "I am tired. It was a fairly long journey." He proceeded to wrap the bandage again around his eyes. He didn't want people to him in such a state. Maybe he would be allowed to stay in his room. It was wishful thinking, but he couldn't help such thoughts.

The young female Hyuuga patted his hand. "I will call one of the servants to lay out the futon for you. O-Oto-san won't be disturbing you, but I'm sure he'd like to talk to you when you wake."

Neji agreed to her soft suggestion, knowing that Hinata had changed for the better due to Uzumaki Naruto's influence. She left very soon, her presence being replaced quickly by a servant woman who put out his futons for him to sleep on. He thanked her and sat among his soft bedding to meditate. Being back in the house made him feel secure and he was able to concentrate. He was over the initial shock of permanently losing his sight, but he was still at a loss of what to do from here. There seemed to be no guidance provided for him and his body, and he felt like a child that couldn't figure out a simple arithmetic problem.

His eyelids were heavy with sleep and his body was aching all over. The healed side of his body protested unpleasantly while Neji pulled the comforting blankets over him and exhaled slowly. He closed his eyes. He could even say that he was used to the darkness since it was the only thing visible to him.

Slowly, the sub-consciousness of his mind began to haze, as if a fog had gently descended clouding his senses. Before he could panic, his ears picked up sounds all around him, rumbling like muted thunder, distant and quiet at first, before the sounds gradually grew to a sustained level.

The oppressive black blocking his vision faded slowly, and he could see familiar damnable forest scenery surrounding him. It was drizzling again in his world, making him blink, and he found himself sprinting towards a small figure that was going to be in the way.

_In the way of what?_

The question went unanswered and his body automatically, completely instinctively dashed straight at the figure in his sight. Neji could feel the recognizable way that his ANBU suit clung to his body but his face was unprotected due to the lack of his mask. He could smell that coppery scent of blood, his own blood, and he could see its crimson staining the tree branches that he was leaping on. But as much as he ran, the figure didn't seem any closer; instead, it looked like it was further away.

_Wait!_

He felt his mouth move and heard his voice, but it eerily echoed through the forest as if it was being played with a synthesizer. Neji stopped running and stood on a lone tree branch. When everything was still, the forest exploded.

The Hyuuga bolted up from his futon when he felt his body being jolted backward as a searing pain grew behind his eyes. Neji pressed on them, willing the pain to disappear and to block his brain from comprehending it.

As the agony from his eyes lessened, his thin lips did not fail to form a smirk. How ironic was it that fate decided to play another cruel trick on him? He could only see when he dreamed. He couldn't see reality but a fantasy world that his mind unconsciously created. How spiteful. Indeed, it was wicked of fate to decide that he would see nothing but a dream filled with blood again. If there was one thing he never wanted to see, it was blood. Would this be his destiny? Would he be chained in forever seeing blood when he actually had no sight? Did he really deserve to be this damned?

It was without mercy that a pounding headache came to him as he could not stop cursing his misfortune with fate, and he could sense the vein in his temple throb. Neji was tired from sleep deprivation, his eyes were still tender, and one could almost say that he was afraid to fall back asleep. Would he dream again?

Not knowing what else to do, he pulled back the covers from his body and rubbed his upper arm. He realized that it was actually day when he felt warmth seeping through his pores from the direction where his windows were located, and Neji looked up. He got up to find his way rather clumsily to find the comb to brush his hair. The blind shinobi carefully patted his hand on the low table against the wall, feeling amongst his few possessions for the comb. Irritating clacking noises were formed by his search but he sacrificed a little part of his sanity for his hair.

Upon finding it, he ran it several times through his hair, detangling the knots and making it smooth once again. Neji frowned at the smell of his unwashed body, remembering that he only had a brief wash that Sakura had provided for him the day before last. It almost allowed him to think that he needed her. No one was there to help him with his clothes and to brush his hair gently. By himself, Neji felt a void of loneliness that he knew he'd had for a long time, but had been painstakingly ignored. With her, it made him realize the missing concept of companionship in his life as a ninja.

Neji called for a servant to bring him towels while he gathered up fresh, laundered clothes from his closet. He was led to the bath and left alone to wash. The water was always heated to right temperature and a row of oils, perfumes, and soap was prepared on a shelf adjoining the bathtub.

He sat in the bath as his mind raced but with his headache lapsed. The pressure inside of his head had leveled off to his gratitude. The water lapped gently against his arms, back, and chest, but he gained no comfort from it. His thoughts wandered to his nonexistent sight then again to the pink haired woman who had _seen_ it all. Seen what he could not see anymore.

Neji remembered back to the icy curtness that made the smoothness of her voice seem chapped and short. He also recalled the stiffness and the ridge way she held herself when she left. More or less, he was indeed sorry for what he had said to her outside the inn. As soon as that thought came, it fleetingly left, in its place a steel bar of pride. He would not regret. Regret was a useless emotion, just like the notion of love.

After his bath, he was led to the spacious family room where he sensed his uncle waiting gravely for him. Neji came in as gracefully as he could and sat while facing where he knew Hyuuga Hiashi was.

"Neji," Hiashi spoke sternly as it was his nature, but the air encompassing them was tinged with sadness. "What happened?"

The same bitterness overcame him and a fresh wave realization of how serious all of this was almost drowned him. Neji bowed his head respectfully. "The ANBU team was assigned to a mission. We were outnumbered ten to one. Several members set up an explosive device and they could not escape the explosion in time. I came in direct contact with it and the heat damaged my eyes. The burned retinas finally tore at night. There was nothing anyone could do."

Hiashi sounded a little desperate, as if unable to hide his worry. "Did you not go to the Godaime? I heard that her apprentice survived the explosion also."

The younger Hyuuga shook his head. "Iie, Hiashi, both the Godaime and Haruno Sakura could not repair the damage. It was too extensive."

He heard Hiashi sigh quietly. "I'm sorry this has happened to you. You have no idea how sorry…" His voice carried emotion, and Neji would have stumbled back in surprise if he'd been standing.

"I am so glad…that you are alive. If you'd died, your father would have never forgiven me."

It was the first time in ages that he heard his uncle talk about his father. Neji felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment as he thought about his dead father.

"Hiashi-sama, I just need some time." Neji chose his words carefully.

"Of course, Neji. Anything you need."

He didn't feel like being pitied by anyone but himself.

Suddenly tired of the conversation and the sound of his uncle's voice, he got up and bowed low. "If you will excuse me…"

Hiashi sadly frowned at Neji's quiet display of anger and depression. If the shock of Neji not being able to use the Byakugan, must less his eyes, was huge to him, then he couldn't begin to imagine how horrible this news was to his young nephew.

Neji managed to find his way outside, letting the walls be his guide, and he sat cross legged on the smooth, polished porch. Though his skin reacted joyfully at the caress of the sunshine, his eyes remained dark and unseeing. His ears caught the sound of birds and their melodies wickedly teased him of their perpetual freedom. He was a bird without wings.

Just as a bird without wings could not function, he without his eyes could not function as well.

The Hyuuga male swiftly straightened his back and sat still as he took in his surroundings with the abrupt coming of an epiphany. His mind began to whirl excitedly with different jumbles of vague understanding that he just needed to sort out in order to make sense of what he was thinking. The air of self-pity vanished from Neji and he began to gradually realize what he was thinking.

However much he resembled a disabled bird of the sky, he was actually quite different…

Hyuuga Hiashi watched his daughters' older cousin sit and meditate. Neji was the son that he never got. Hizashi, his younger brother, had been blessed with a brilliant child. This did not mean that Hiashi was displeased with his daughters, but rather just felt that he was missing a part of him that never existed in the first place. In resignation, the Hyuuga leader got up. He would not give up on his nephew just yet. He owed his life to the boy's father, his brother, and Hiashi could not stop until he found some answers for himself.

* * *

Sakura was dead tired and her muscles screamed torture to her brain, all the more increasing the migraine that was about ready to explode. She stopped and then quickly scolded her thoughts. That wasn't a good way to compare the two. Explosions were quite a bit more harmful than a migraine. She had experienced this truth first hand. Her mind should be weary of what she thought. It could be a dangerous thing. 

The mirror in her small bathroom was foggy from the heat of her shower and she could not see the reflection of her naked self clearly. Dressed in clean clothes, she stepped out of the bathroom while toweling off her wet hair and neck. The kunoichi ran her hand through her damp, rosette tresses which were slightly wavy from the moisture. She was just about ready to simply fall asleep on her couch since the distance to her bedroom seemed too great for her to cross.

With jade eyes drooping, Sakura sleepily made her way to the couch and tossed the towel on the floor carelessly. The doorbell rang.

A blatant curse slipped from her mouth and she shuffled to the door to wrench it open. "Who is—" Sakura's eyes widened at the unexpected guest who looked little surprised at her.

A man who looked very much like Hyuuga Neji stood regally in front of her with a slightly apologetic countenance on his face. "Haruno Sakura-san?"

Her throat closed up momentarily as she stared at Hiashi. A voice snapped at her to wake up and smell the roses. "Oh! Hyuuga Hiashi-sama! I am so sorry, but I never really expected you…here…of all places…" She stepped back with as much poise as she could manage, and bowed to let him in while her mind racked up the ways she had wronged the Hyuuga family to have the grand patriarch at her door.

Hiashi looked a bit uncomfortable as Sakura led him to the low antique coffee table that she had received as a gift from Tsunade. She mentally praised herself for cleaning up before leaving for the mission. Nothing was dirty or out of place except for the fallen soggy towel on the ground. She crossed her fingers in hopes that the man would understand.

_Why should there a need to impress him? He is Neji's uncle._

They knelt opposite from each other with Sakura's hands twisting nervously together in habit that she had developed over the years. The man coughed lightly into his hand and breathed deeply as if to calm the two of them.

"You must be tired, Haruno-san, so I will refrain from stalling. I come as just an uncle who is concerned for his nephew." His white orbs searched her idle face for a reaction. Not seeing one, he continued. "You were the only survivor from the mission along with Neji. You were there when he…lost his sight, yes?"

So he was here about Neji. She didn't feel like dwelling on the image of the young Hyuuga. Sakura merely nodded and waited in silence for him to speak again.

"I have come to ask a favor. I have heard of your many accomplishments under the Godaime's training and ask if you could regularly check on Neji and his eyes. I believe he will need the company. Please, will help him recover?" He looked at her with beseeching eyes.

Hiashi's request carried much responsibility. It was a responsibility that she didn't feel like possessing. Taking care of Neji would be difficult, and she didn't want to be the person to announce to the Hyuuga family that there would be nothing she could do to save Neji's eyes. And so, Sakura cautiously ventured into words.

"I…I'm sorry, Hyuuga-sama." She was looking at her lap the entire and her words came in whispered murmurs. "Neji…Neji will just need some time to adjust. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. He'll be fine."

The profound appearance that the elder Hyuuga held with him dispirited considerably as he heard her words. Hiashi bowed his head to thank her. "Excuse me for bothering you. I'm sure you wanted some much needed rest."

Sakura walked him to the door and bowed humbly to his back as he left. Breathing out a sigh laden with incredible stress, the pink haired medic ANBU nin plopped down on her couch wearily. She mussed her soft hair in a vent of frustration and rested her head in her hands. When a despairing figure of Neji appeared in her guilty conscious, she squeezed her eyes shut and compressed her ears with her hands.

"Just don't think on it, Sakura. He wouldn't have wanted your help anyway."

The kunoichi lay on her back, her head resting on the armrest on one side. Restlessly, she turned to her side and fiddled with the hem of the shirt she had donned after her shower. Sakura didn't want to think about the mission. Instead, she kept wondering about Neji's eyes. Being a medic, one's greatest failure was not being competent enough to heal something. The condition of the blind Hyuuga's eyes baffled her from the beginning. How could his retinas be so shattered? Not even one living cell was left for her to duplicate. Even so, to reproduce the cells that held an advanced bloodline was something that was never done before. There was no predecessor to Neji's case.

Mystified and let down from her recent encounter with his uncle, Sakura shut her eyes and shook her head. "Stop thinking. Thinking is bad. Go to sleep." She ordered her mind like a child.

After forty minutes of trying to empty her mind, Sakura fell into a shallow slumber.

Hyuuga Neji felt the temperature change as the fading remains of the sun dipped below the sunset, marveling at how much he could discover with just the sense of touch. In his head, he counted steady seconds with the rhythmic bamboo clock until he found that it took the cold about five minutes and a half to settle. The chill sent slight vibrations down his spine, but Neji did not move. His faultless eyebrows furrowed at the center in concentration.

When Hinata came out to persuade her cousin to come inside, Neji was able to sense the worry and the fear in the light touch of her fingertips brushing against the back of his own calloused hand. The sweet, sugary smell that radiated from her clothes indicated that Hinata had been baking dessert in the kitchens again.

He felt the change of air current that swept across his exposed forearms as he crossed from room to room. Only a genius could be so sensitive. The hardwood floor under his feet was cool and he mentally counted twenty steps to reach the meeting room. From there, he could count another forty six to his own room. If Neji traveled in the middle of the hall, he would have to step another extra half step so that he wouldn't bump into the wall when he turned onto another hallway. The walls changed from smooth to a different texture of rice paper along the shoji doors under his fingers.

His own room, he found, was his sanctuary where no one would bother him and where his uncle allowed him to take his meals. Neji made up his mind that he would do everything he could to adjust to the blindness. If he meant starting over as a ninja, he would have to make that choice. He would start with each of the senses that remained available to him.

* * *

**Ending notes:** Rather horrible, don't you think? From good relations to bad, the couple is in trouble. I don't think I'll put huge amounts of fluff as my other stories, but the rare few won't be coming in a while. They must have some sort of relationship first now that Neji has ruined everything. Or, that could be my fault... 

Suggestions? And really, I'd like some serious suggestions. I have a mere idea of where I want this to go.


	4. Chapter 3

**Itonami: **Oh, look! An update! How wonderful!

Disclaimer: My mama scolded me just recently that I should stop pretending to be Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Chapter 3: Seeing Winter

* * *

The wintry air was sharp and it nipped at the end of Sakura's rosy nose. The thick woolen scarf that wound around her neck tickled her chin and the coat that she wore protected her from the chill. The sky was gray and the earth white since Konoha had been blessed with the season's first snow just yesterday. She could see her breath in puffs as she walked along the frosted streets of Konoha, looking through the windows of various stores. None really captured her meandering attention as she headed toward the training areas. Several people greeted her along the way, and she politely smiled at them in return. 

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura's pink hair fluttered as she turned around to see a close friend waving to her. His golden hair never ceased to look dull even in a cloudy day. She lifted a hand out of her pocket to wave back and he leisurely started toward her.

"Naruto, how did the mission go?"

The young man grinned widely. He was always ecstatic about missions before and after. "Successful with only one wounded. It was easier than expected."

"I heard Kakashi-sensei went with you." She said, wondering why she wasn't as happy as she usually was when she saw Naruto.

Naruto's cobalt orbs flickered in concern before concealing it expertly behind a plastered smile. "Oh, you know that old perv. He did everything at the last minute. Showed up two hours late, too." He ruffled her hair affectionately with a gloved hand. "How have things been going? Not too tired for ramen, I hope."

The kunoichi of the former Team 7 smiled genuinely. "You're paying."

The two old friends laughed aloud and went off in the direction of Ichiraku ramen stand. Its familiar setting brought back sad memories. They sat down side by side and ordered a bowl of the same ramen together, but no other words were yet spoken to each other. Sakura broke apart her wooden chopsticks and played with them absently. Naruto glanced at her as he undid the light orange scarf from his neck to put it on his lap.

"You know I've never really been sensitive enough for your liking, so I'll just come out and ask the question that's been bugging me for the entire two months." He waited for Sakura lift her guilty green eyes and look at him. Naruto settled for a neutral look. "Neji…what happened to him?"

The pink haired young woman gazed at the space in front of her. "He got caught in an explosion." She whispered softly, as if she was uttering the forbidden words.

Naruto's mature face, which lost all of its roundness from adolescence, looked confused and shocked at the same time. "Neji…got caught in an…explosion?"

"That's what I said, Naruto! Don't repeat it like an illiterate child!" Sakura snapped at him, her eyes flashing angrily, not necessarily at him but at the subject of their conversation.

So that was it. Naruto held back a knowing smile and sighed. "What happened between you two? You guys fight over which side of the bed you wanted?"

Sakura shot him her best glare. "That's not funny."

He shrugged a little playfully. "Sure it is."

"If it was about something that small, do you think we would still refuse to see each other?" She let out a breath wearily, and offered her friend a weak smile. "It's stupid, really, but I can't help but feel angry. And of course, Hyuuga Neji would never admit that he was wrong in the first place."

"So, what was it?"

Sakura paused when their orders were placed in front of them. She prodded the noodles uninterestedly and put down her chopsticks. "When I told him that he would be blind for life, he grew angry. I tried to provide him some reason to keep going, but he suddenly accused me of not knowing what it meant to sacrifice." The kunoichi sadly looked into Naruto's eyes, asking if he understood. "You know…that I've learned what it means to sacrifice something, don't you, Naruto? That I know how much it hurts to give up something that meant a lot to me?"

The blonde shinobi's eyes clouded darkly at her words and he nodded as Sakura leaned sideways on his shoulder. "Of course, I know, Sakura-chan. I know. Even if that bastard doesn't, I know."

Taking comfort in his assurance, Sakura slowly ate her ramen while Naruto cleanly finished five bowls. She felt better as she watched her longtime friend happily eat his beloved food. The guilt inside of released some of its pressure, making her feel lighter than she had felt in the two months. Sakura dared to wonder if Neji was alright.

The remnants of Team 7 separated ways. "I've got a hot date! Wish me luck!" Naruto shouted over his shoulder as he sprinted in the opposite direction of where she was going.

Sakura couldn't help but smile at her friend's humor. She knew he was going to see Hinata, which was how he found out about Neji's blindness. Beginning to feel the chill beneath the coat layer, she decided to train and keep her body pumping with blood.

Arriving at the training area in a fast dash, the medic ANBU shed her coat on the snowy ground hastily but kept the scarf on so not to catch a cold. She slipped out two shuriken from her weapon holster and flung them accurately at two practice dummies and flipped on her hands over the targets to reach out and fling a set of senbon. The snow was cold to the touch.

* * *

_Reminace..._

The powdery snowflakes floated down from the clear winter sky outside of the Hokage's office window.

A sixteen-year old Haruno Sakura stood numb as she tried to make sense of what she was hearing. She could not stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks.

"Orochimaru has taken over Sasuke's body. I'm afraid the three years are up. Orochimaru seemed to be in a hurry to get a pair of working arms—"

"_Shut up!_"

Tsunade looked at her pupil with disbelieving eyes. Sakura stood with her fists clenched at her side, her entire body trembling at the effort to suppress her sobs. Apple green eyes were filled with tears and her pink bangs hid most of her face.

"Stop it. Don't say anymore." She whispered angrily yet softly, as if she was afraid of her own voice. Sakura could not stand to listen to any more.

"Sakura, I thought you'd want to know." The Godaime said, a stab of hurt prickling her stomach at her student's anger.

"You were wrong. I didn't want to know. I don't want to know." The young kunoichi tightened her fists again.

Tsunade sighed and gathered her manicured hands in front of her face. "Very well, you may go." She made an attempt to disclose the worry she had inside for Sakura.

Sakura ran out of the office blindly, gasping in the cold air. The sudden availability of the air hurt her throat as she forced it in her lungs. She collapsed ungracefully, her legs splayed under her. Despairing, she let the tears come at full force.

Sasuke was truly no more. Orochimaru had done what she had feared for the previous three years. She had trained day and night to save the lost piece that had gone missing from Team 7's puzzle. Now, it had all been for nothing. She felt useless and helpless. Without Sasuke, she knew her life would never be whole again.

It had taken the next two and a half years to cautiously make her way over the loss of Sasuke, the man who had been her hope since childhood. During those two and a half years, it was the most difficult time for her mentally. It had taken all the help of Naruto, Tsunade, Kakashi, and the rest of friends to get over the depression. Sakura hated thinking back to the times when she had refused to see any of them and refused the food given to her.

It had been quite recent when she had let the memories of Sasuke go. Naruto had been there when they decided to create a makeshift grave for Sasuke. It would have been considered immature by most, but the grave held a significant meaning to Team 7. She remembered the words that she had spoken to that small, miserly grave.

_I'll always remember you. I miss those days when we were all together, but I guess that would be pointless now, wouldn't it, Sasuke-kun? Is it okay for me to just call you Sasuke now? I'm sure you were waiting for me to grow up a little. It's time for Naruto and me to go. I'm sure you know what I mean by that. I…I'm sorry that I couldn't be of much help, Sasuke. _

_I don't think we'll be back, Sasuke. Then…I guess this is our goodbye. _

_

* * *

_

Hyuuga Neji felt the definite cold of the day seeping into the large manor as he strode through the house. Already, Neji was making progress by not needing anyone to guide him. He was able to find his way without bumping into anything. Of course, if there was something in his path, then he was not yet able to sense it and simply tripped on it. But progress was progress.

The blind genius of the Hyuuga clan wanted to see how the snow looked like outside. Winter had always been his favorite season. He wore more layers of clothing than usual and stepped on the porch to meditate. Without his eyes, Neji was highly sensitive to the change in temperature and its effect on his body. The months spent outside to think allowed him to hone his senses.

"Neji-niisan, I-I've prepared some t-tea. Would y-you like some?" Hinata asked shyly from behind.

Neji let a small smile escape at her innocence. "Of course, Hinata."

Hinata set a tray with two beautiful tea cups and poured the delicious brewed liquid in each of them, placing one in her cousin's hand. She held one for herself and turned her head to look at the simplistic beauty of the snow.

"Hinata, could you describe the snow for me?"

Neji felt her jump a little at the prodigious request. The young woman sat beside him and put a warm hand on his wrist. "The snow that had fallen is now piled up to our ankles, and it looks as smooth as glass." She spoke in that quiet, charming voice that no longer stuttered nor wavered nervously. "It sparkles every time you move your eyes, even when the sun isn't out. The world looks like it's covered in a white blanket that Kami-sama has made with his own hand. If you pick some up, it feels like the softest ball of cotton until it melts in the clearest pool of water you can find anywhere…"

He listened to her tell him about the snow and he was glad for his cousin's company. Having someone close to him after months of isolation felt good and made him realize how important a conversation was for him. Neji sipped his tea, smiling at how much it tasted like the tea that his own father used to like. Hinata made one of the best teas in the manor.

"Hinata," Neji mused after a moment of silence.

"H-Hai?"

"Is Haruno Sakura doing alright?"

Hinata frowned slightly, confused by the meaning of the question, but she answered as truthfully as she could. "Well, I-I think she's having a little trouble with the double load of work she t-took at the hospital. I o-overheard Tsunade-sama arguing with her about it."

Just as the Hyuuga was about to comment, a cheery voice interrupted them. "Hinata-chan!"

Uzumaki Naruto bounded toward the pair of Hyuuga, his scarf flying behind him like a banner. The eccentric shinobi slowed and seated himself beside a blushing Hinata. "Oi, Neji, it's nice to see you out. I was starting to wonder if you'd never come out of your room."

A wry smile was displayed on Neji's finely chiseled face. "Thank you for your concern."

Naruto offered him a foxy grin, though the other man couldn't see it. "Sakura's still upset about your sight, you know?"

"Tell her that she shouldn't worry anymore." Neji said, sipping his tea again.

The other man snorted while he snuck a hand to hold Hinata's. "You are a royal pain in the butt, Neji. Sometimes, you like such a damn prick before you open your mouth. It's going to get you in a lot of trouble some day."

"Hn, is that all she told you?" Neji asked coolly. "Perhaps she should take her own advice."

Naruto felt his stomach jolt at his effort to sustain his smile. "Actually, I don't really see anything wrong in what she said to you. Really, you're the one who overrated. You'd do yourself and Sakura a favor by apologizing first."

Gently as he could, without breaking the cup, he slammed it down on the tray before getting up. "I don't need to hear this from you, Naruto. It would do my clan a favor if you left. Thank you for the tea, Hinata." He strode away before the remaining two could say anything further.

There was a bit of a stunned pause.

"Naruto-kun…y-you must understand Neji-niisan. He had t-trouble dealing with the loss of his Byakugan." Hinata said, squeezing his hand tenderly. "You might have not known this, but my f-father was getting ready to announce him as the h-heir to the Hyuuga clan before he lost his eyes. Neji-niisan had heard of the rumor and hoped to p-please my father by successfully completing the ANBU mission."

The Kyuubi vessel growled aloud. "It doesn't mean that he can rampage around hurting others with his words. That crass jerk…"

Hinata gazed at him with her wide, pearly eyes. "D-Did he upset Sakura-chan?"

"Upset her?" He said in a mock disbelieving manner. "She's taken the initiative to sulk and pace on the streets. She's gone back to when Orochimaru took over Sasuke's body. I know she hates it when she's reminded of him."

The young Hyuuga woman dared to smile a bit. "The t-two of them didn't know of each other's conditions. The misunderstanding between them has gotten this far, hasn't it, Naruto-kun? M-Maybe we should notify them of it."

Naruto sighed in defeat. "Why should we anyway? They hardly know each other. Besides, they've only been on a couple of missions together. This was the first one where they actually had some mutual, unprofessional contact."

Hinata looked behind her at the door where Neji stormed through. "I'm concerned for Neji-niisan. I know that m-my father went to ask Sakura-chan for her help. He was hoping she could f-fix his eyes by spending time with him, but she refused." She looked at Naruto. "Please, I know it would do the two of t-them some good."

Naruto nodded at her and grinned. "Hinata-chan, I don't know where you can get all of that kindness from."

* * *

The very next day, Sakura was in her apartment wearing her sleeping garments while she read a mission folder with a mug of hot coffee beside her hand. Her pink hair was slightly disheveled and her clothes wrinkled, but her eyes behind a pair of reading glasses were awake and quite alert as they scanned the words on the file. 

_The annual Keeping Unified National Alliances Intact (KUNAI) conference will start in three days. You have been chosen to represent the Hidden Village of the Leaf. Further briefing will be at 2:00 on Thursday. Please be prompt._

There was loud rapping on her door, precisely measured and in rhythm. Sakura looked up from her reading and she took off her spectacles to answer the door. "Yes?"

"Sakura-chan!" The young kunoichi was promptly squeezed in a bear hug. Coughing slightly at the lack of air getting to her lungs, Sakura weakly smiled at her friendly assailant.

"Naruto, what are you doing so early in the morning?"

Still grinning, Naruto shoved her toward the bedroom. "Come on, I need to treat you to some ramen again."

Grumbling about the hour of the morning to eat ramen, she went in to change, knowing that her friend had something important to talk to her about. Sakura threw her regular outfit and brushed her hair properly and came out of the room to see him tapping his foot on the ground impatiently.

"What are you so excited about?"

The golden-haired shinobi stuck his tongue out at her. "I'm not excited, but I hope today makes you feel better."

Confused and greatly curious, she followed Naruto out the door. He walked at an unhurried pace, and he would glance at her out of the corner of his eye cautiously before they sprang back to the road ahead. Sakura wondered what made Naruto act this way. They made the walk to Ichiraku Ramen stand and sat at the counter.

Sakura turned to face him by swiveling her seat and leaned her cheek on her hand. "What is this about, Naruto?"

For a moment, Naruto remained silent and unmoving, not even speaking to order his food. His pools of blue seemed to spin with questions, but he soon began to voice what was on his mind. "You know, Sakura, I think I know why Neji overacted to what you tried to tell him that day when he lost his sight."

Sakura sighed. "We're not over this topic yet?"

Naruto smiled a little, tracing his sadness through a display of happiness. "Neji was actually going to fulfill the duty of clan leader, Sakura. Hiashi was going to name him the heir instead of his own daughters. You do realize that this is an enormous change of history for the Hyuuga clan, don't you, Sakura?" He slowly turned to meet her shocked gaze. "This was only a rumor before Neji went on the ANBU mission with you. He was hoping to make it official…"

Sakura could only listen in astonishment.

"_You don't know what it is like to have an entire clan look to you! I am blind! I cannot use the clan's bloodline ability! Do you understand how worthless that makes me!" _

"How worth…less?" She whispered to herself.

Naruto put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I thought that would let you know that he really had nothing against you personally. Maybe you can forgive him now."

Sakura nodded dumbly and patted his hand with a shaky hand. "How horrible…"

"You didn't do anything wrong, Sakura. There's no need to beat yourself over it."

She put up a brave front and nodded firmer this time. "Thanks, Naruto. I don't know where I'd be without you." Sakura offered him a sincere smile that seemed to make him smile also. "Have you seen Neji-san?"

He grinned. "He's doing fine. Just seems a little lonely, that's all."

Sakura looked at her fingers. "Hiashi-san visited me once, asking me to help Neji-san. I refused it since I was still angry with him."

Naruto briefly stopped to order a bowl for himself and Sakura. Then, he returned to the conversation. "It's not too late, Sakura."

The kunoichi brightened. "You're right. It isn't too late."

"Come on, let's eat."

They both broke their chopsticks apart at the same time and dug in the food. Sakura smiled at she ate, a startling peace settling around her.

After the breakfast, she separated from Naruto and started off to where the Hyuuga compound was. Sakura took measured steps as she made up the mind to gain permission from Hyuuga Hiashi if it was alright to take up the request for help made a few months ago. She would definitely apologize to him for refusing the first time.

The bumpy pathway to the large manor seemed less uneven to her and she hoped that everything would work out. Sakura took off her sandals at the steps and knocked on the door, preparing herself for the challenge looming before her.

"Yes?"

A woman servant looked at her sternly, her dark eyes traveling up and down Sakura as if sizing her up. Undaunted by the rather threatening, suspicious glances, Sakura smiled pleasantly yet humbly bowed before asking to speak to Hyuuga Hiashi.

Immediately, the woman ushered her in rather roughly and asked her to sit in the room while she went to ask if the patriarch would accept her visitation. Sakura waited patiently and secretly looked around her to admire the beauty of the household. She was kneeling on the cool hardwood floor as she tugged on her winter coat and scarf to loosen them. Though the complex was huge, it was actually well heated.

"Haruno-san, I am surprised by your sudden presence." A deep voice belonging to Hyuuga Hiashi welcomed her.

She looked up quickly and bowed. "I would like to apologize for my selfishness."

Hiashi beckoned her to follow. "Let us talk in the parlor."

Once seated, he motioned for her to continue. She took a deep breath and gave him a small, reserved smile. "I would like to helpNeji-san's progress further. If I can, I would also like to help him restore his eyesight. Will you allow me?"

He faced away from her and out the window where it framed a little portion of the snowy paradise outside. "When I came to you before, I had humbled and cast away my pride to ask for your help. Now, I find it hard to accept you." He let out a grim smile. "You know that a man's greatest weakness is his pride, and your first response wounded that pride. My heart tells me to allow you another chance, but my pride disagrees. Which should I listen to?"

Sakura raised her eyes and met his white, seeing orbs squarely. "I believe that a man can't truly be a man unless he can throw away his pride for what he loves."

Surprise was written on every corner of Hiashi's face at her bold answer. This time, he smiled and closed his eyes. "A response that can only be spoken by a person such as you…" He bowed his head, his brown long hair spilling over his shoulders. "I beg you help my nephew."

Jade eyes softened at his words. "I will do my absolute best, Hyuuga-sama. I give you my word as a kunoichi."

The elder man looked very grateful. "Neji should always be in his room or on the porch." He got up as she did the same. "He has actually managed to walk without guidance, for which I am proud, but there are things that a human being needs in order to keep from losing his will to live and fight."

Sakura smiled. "Yes, the basics of life."

Hiashi had taken a liking to the young woman as they exchanged casual conversation on the way to the exit. The impression that Sakura made to him was strong. She was highly educated and opinionated, but she did not press her beliefs nor did she argue them. Open-minded yet firm on what she believed Sakura was truly an ideal shinobi. He was quite impressed.

Hiashi saw her off as she promised to come back the next day. Sakura bowed and sprinted off to her apartment. He watched her leave before turned back to the room where Neji held his ground.

"Who was it, Hiashi-sama?"

The Hyuuga patriarch shook his head. "A mere visitor." The tone of his voice made it clear that Neji was not to question him.

Neji inclined his head forward respectfully before turning to head down his hall again. He could feel the stern gaze of Hiashi leaving imprints on his back. He trailed his fingers along the walls, wondering who had painted the walls already.

The young Hyuuga had heard the feminine voice in the room, but couldn't quite place it to a face. She had been speaking too softly for him to recognize the voice. It had been soothing to hear a female other than Hinata for a change, and this woman's voice was almost melodic. Its pitch hovered pleasantly between a soprano and an alto.

Neji heard the village children's shouts of glee in the distance.

"It's snowing again!"

* * *

**Ending notes:** Ah, another chapter complete. I think I'll make a chapter for all of the seasons and some more. It's actually going to longer than I anticipated earlier. I have my work cut out for me. Hope I can finish it.

Yes, I know I had Sakura call Neji "Hyuuga-san" in the beginning, but bear with me for now. I'm trying something...

Thank you for your reviews and comments. And of course, for the suggestions that you guys even bothered to respond to.


	5. Chapter 4

**Itonami:** Um…I lied. I don't know what I was smoking when I wrote that there would be little fluff. Who am I kidding? I live to write fluff. Ignore what I said before. There will be fluff and lots of cute stuff. Bleh…that sounds stupid.

Disclaimer: "I think, therefore I am"…not the owner of Naruto.

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Chapter 5: Seeing Spring

* * *

He refused the hand extended to him by turning away as he sat on the ground, panting laboriously after his efforts to regain his taijutsu. Sakura frowned at his stubbornness and let out a sigh.

"I told you to take it easy, Hyuuga-san."

Neji was so tired that he didn't have the energy or the air in his lungs to reply to her scolding. His pale gray eyes were as distant as always as he struggled to get up on his own. His body was battered and well-bruised by the training and it ached with every movement.

"At least let me take a look at the bruises."

He pointedly ignored her and dusted off his sleeves. Blindly, he tried to straighten out his soiled clothes the best he could, and almost swept her hands away when they began to help him out with the collar. Neji bit the reaction back, knowing it wouldn't do him any good by offending her.

"What are you doing here, Haruno?" He asked, not even the slightest bit of curiosity in his inquiry.

Sakura brushed off something from his shoulder before deciding to answer. "I always come around this time, Hyuuga-san. Didn't you care to notice?"

"Iie, not really." The Hyuuga did not like her around him, not since he heard that Hiashi was the one to ask for her help. Neji felt strongly that he could do without the medic ninja. Sakura did not hesitate to make him frustrated with her mere helping presence, and he already had enough of frustration in his life. A defense mechanism, he found, to push away the person who truly made him feel like he could go on without his eyes.

The kunoichi tried to refrain from touching the ill-tempered Hyuuga. She found out the hard way that he did not want to be helped physically. Sakura proceeded to shuffle past him wearily and seated herself heavily a boulder. Neji picked up the sound her feet dragging along the ground, but he feigned a convincing look of impassiveness. He heard her sigh quietly, trying to suppress the sound of warm air rushing past her parted lips so that he wouldn't catch the noise.

The Hyuuga caught the canteen of water thrown his way and took a mouthful of water gratefully. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and tossed it back in the direction of where it originally came from. He heard the splash of water inside it when Sakura caught it.

"Will you let me look at those bruises? They look pretty nasty." She tried again.

He let out a mirthless chuckle. "Do they? I wouldn't know."

Neji felt her stress level rise with her anger. She got up from her boulder. "You know, for a man who talks so wisely, you like to contradict your own words."

He frowned deeply. "And how do I do that?"

Sakura smiled a sarcastic smile. "So I finally sparked your interest?"

He seemed to return her smile with a bemused one of his own. "Let's entertain the thought that you did."

She stepped closer. "You said that no one lives by regretting, but you still seemed pretty hung up on your blindness."

This time, that smile vanished from his face, leaving his handsome face while a minutely angry look replaced it. "How do you suggest I do that?"

"You keep making references to it. It seems to me that you're still living in regret. An adage once said that if a person does one thing but says another, he is a hypocrite." The last word was spoken coolly.

That same smirk came back, now with a hint of malice in it. "Just because of references, you suddenly declare me a hypocrite. This _entertaining_ session is now over."

Sakura's hand shot out to stop the Hyuuga from walking away. "Your uncle has personally requested that I look after you. Let me see the wounds you keep inflicting on yourself."

He wrenched his arm away from her surprisingly strong grip, his face set in a grave countenance. "My uncle is mistaken. I don't need a babysitter."

The pink-haired woman shrugged. "It's not my fault that you think of it that way. I didn't even see it that way. I only see myself as a medic that can help you."

Neji sneered thinly. "Don't flatter yourself, Haruno. You can't help me."

"We won't know until we try."

He walked into the house only to have Sakura follow right behind him. The elegant structure was lost to them as their own pressure of fury started to build. It began to weigh on them and suffocate their bodies as they traveled further into the house where the bathrooms were located.

"Do you intend to watch me bathe?" He asked as he felt around for the towel closet doorknob.

"Would you mind?"

"How bold of you." He ambiguously answered her question, and he had no smile on his face.

"I'll give you two minutes to undress and get in the water. You have no idea what the bruises on your body look like." She gave him a warning before he disappeared behind the rice paper door.

Precisely counting to the given two minutes, Sakura audaciously slid the door open to see Neji in the water, his sleek hair dripping at the ends from the water. She sat at the side of the bath with a towel. Taking a bit of soap, she gently cleansed his shoulders and torso, carefully avoiding the angry splotches marring the tan color of his skin.

Gingerly, she took the wash cloth and wiped the soapy residue from his body with water, inhaling sharply when Neji suddenly held her wrist. "What is it?"

He did not turn to face her but only gazed at the far wall of the bathroom. "Why do you insist, Haruno?" Something in his tone was constricted and confused.

Sakura continued washing his body, watching in innocent fascination as droplets of water slipped down from his broad shoulders. "Why do you insist on pushing me away?" She asked in return.

The hand around her wrist slackened and slid back under the water's surface. The Hyuuga did not answer her and held his silence. Sakura ran a comb through his hair, gently detangling the knots as they came while Neji remained silent.

"Someone brought you clothes. Get dressed and I'll see to those bruises." Sakura almost whispered as she got up to leave. She waited outside the door for him to finish which he did in about ten minutes.

Coldly, Neji brushed past her again after he dressed. Sakura sighed. Today was just not a good day to interact with the ill-humored Hyuuga. She was tired and didn't want to put herself through dealing with the pain of being ignored again.

Maybe other days, but perhaps not today.

"Hyuuga-san, I'll be going. I really don't feel like being here. Good day." She said, her eyes half drooped over her usually bright eyes. Neji did not even acknowledge her.

Sakura kicked at a little pebble in the street, not noticing how full the Sakura blossoms were around her. She heaved a sigh and thought back to his training. After a day's amount of rest, she would just go back and deal with his stoic attitude tomorrow.

* * *

Sure enough, tomorrow came softly, breathing life with feather-light touches of the sun. Sakura stretched from her bed, and arched her back like a feline before getting out of bed. The warm morning air surrounded her naked legs seeing as she only wore a shirt and her underwear.

She had, regretfully, no duties today and could go straight to the Hyuuga household. It was early afternoon when she arrived at the front doors of the manor again.

"Hyuuga-san, are you here?" Sakura called out as she traveled down the hall that held the door to his room.

With delicate hands, she slid the door open to see Neji meditating. He did not wear a shirt or his forehead protector which attracted her gaze to the bandages that covered his seal.

"You came again?" He asked without moving.

She sat next to him and put on a stern face. "I'm betting that your bruises haven't healed at all."

"You are correct." He said in a monotone.

Sakura ruffled her own pink locks while she exhaled quickly. "Why don't we try to get along today, Hyuuga-san. I'm tired of having these silent arguments with you."

Neji remained quiet and could not help but wince at the tone of her voice. The involuntary facial reaction did not go unnoticed by the keen kunoichi.

"What is it? Are injured somewhere else?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Iie, it's nothing." The Hyuuga patted the floor for his discarded shirt and upon finding, he slipped it on. He stood up and tied his hair back in its usual style.

Sakura wondered what he was doing and followed him out the door.

Neji led the way again, not to his regular spot on the porch, but another side of the house that faced a grove of apple trees. Sakura let out an admiring gasp at the sight of the snow white blossoms that gently rained from their places with a slight toss of the wind. The sweet smell of the trees intoxicated her and she momentarily forgot the coldness of the man next to her and all of her worries.

"Do you hear the birds?" He breathed, startling her a little before she settled down on the porch.

"Yes, I hear them."

The Hyuuga gracefully sat down and did not object when she tugged on his collar to open his kimono in order to expose his upper body. For the first time in what felt like ages, Neji felt another's chakra against his body. It was gentle and soothing as her chakra literally wove through his skin to lessen the shallow clots of internal bleeding beneath his skin. It was then that he fully realized how weak he had become, truly half of what he used to be.

"It was the day after we got back from the mission that I found out how I was different from the birds." He spoke in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. "Once they lose their wings, they are just birds that have lost its ability to fly. They have lost all purpose in life. However, when I looked at myself, I was determined to make myself great even without my eyes. Even though I no longer possessed the Byakugan, I could still make something of myself.

"But this road that I have chosen for myself is difficult to travel on, like the unevenness of the path leading to the front steps of the house. When I heard that Hiashi-sama had asked you to look after me, I was insulted and thought that he was implying that I could not live without guidance. I thought he was telling me to give up." Neji breathed in a sigh and he faced forward, his eyes squinting as if he could see the beauty of the apple blossoms.

Sakura looked at Neji sadly. "If it's difficult, won't you let someone travel it with you?"

He slowly turned to face her. "It would burden them."

A small smile rose on Sakura's face as she brushed a stray strand of his hair behind his ear. "That's what you assume."

"You look at me with pity like my uncle." He said bitterly, his slender brows coming together.

Without thought, without control, Sakura reached out to touch his face ever so gently so that Neji questioned if she had touched him or not. "Pity?" She whispered blankly, "I don't pity you."

The Hyuuga slowly held out a hand, palm facing upwards, and the wind scattered the blossoms again. A little petal greeted his palm, kissing it shyly before being ushered away by the wind. He couldn't help but smile.

"You look more attractive with a smile, Hyuuga-san."

His smile remained at her compliment, something his chest fluttering in appeasement. "I hardly know what I look like now. Probably a horrible mess resembling a caveman."

Hyuuga Neji did not resemble a caveman in the slightest. Hinata had taken care of his hair nicely and kept it trimmed and tied back loosely as always, and he had lost some weight due to the intensive training he was putting himself through. His pale eye color enhanced his austere yet handsome facial expression. His age was not reflected by his looks.

"I've gotten most of the bruises. Is there anywhere else that needs attention?" Sakura asked, helping him with the kimono again.

"My joints. They are stiff." He said emotionlessly.

"You really shouldn't push yourself that hard, Hyuuga-san. You're going to injure yourself further." She carefully massaged his finger joints first.

He shook his head. "I'll keep training and you can either help me or not."

She heaved a great sigh but smiled. "You're stubborn."

"Look in the mirror." He said, scoffing without any spite.

Sakura looked down at Neji's hands and with her eyes she traced small scars imprinted on them. Hyuuga Neji had indeed seen a lot more than usual twenty year old young men, and it showed at times during battle. She remembered times when he would be awfully quiet and aloof after an especially gory skirmish. If someone approached him, he responded sharply and rebuked them. She guessed that everyone had their own way of dealing with what they saw. But, since Neji's blindness, she figured that he didn't see death and blood anymore. He wouldn't have to see what she saw.

Pros and cons to everything in life.

She had watched when he trained to the point of complete exhaustion that two servants came out and had to carry him inside. She had seen the passion and the anger in each thrust, punch, and kick in order to become stronger. The constant, repeated injuries to his body while battling the rotating practice doll, would be dangerous to him if she hadn't taken the time to heal them that day. Now Sakura saw the reason as to why he was doing this: to prove to himself that he can be something without the clan's bloodline limit.

It was as if her eyes were fully open and she saw a familiar shadow in Neji's stubborn form. His persistence and his determination matched the one of Uzumaki Naruto, the man whom Sakura greatly admired and respected.

"What are you thinking about?" Neji's voice smoothly interrupted her ongoing thoughts.

The young kunoichi refused to blush and merely shrugged. "Nothing, just admiring the trees."

"I can vaguely remember what they look like in the spring." He murmured while squinting his eyes again. "Ever since I lost my sight, it's strange that I can't seem to remember what things used to look like."

Sakura gave his hands a reassuring squeeze. "There is nothing wrong with that, Hyuuga-san."

Neji startled again as if shaken by a sudden realization and actually turned to head to where he heard her voice. He blinked several times in a puzzled manner. "Did you always address me that way?"

The petite medic raised both eyebrows in surprise. "I-Iie, I didn't always...refer to you that way."

He looked relieved. "I thought I was starting to imagine things. And I believe I told you before not to be so formal."

She laughed airily. "You just act so above my age that I feel uncomfortable calling you 'Neji-san' now."

He frowned though there was no real distress in it. "I hope I don't look so above your age. If I'm not mistaken, I am not more than a year older than you."

The conversation seemed like it had happened before and Sakura realized that they had the one along similar lines last fall. It was now a gorgeous spring, but the memories of that fall hadn't faded one bit.

"Will you take me to the creek?" Neji asked as he lifted his face to the heavens.

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Of course. Who am I to refuse such a pleasant request?" It was not that Neji needed to be _guided _to the small creek nearby, but rather he was asking for some company, company that Sakura was glad to offer.

Together they got up, slowly traveling on the grass, Sakura taking her place a bit behind the Hyuuga in respect. His hands were folded inside his kimono sleeve and tucked away from her eyes. Perhaps he didn't want people to look at those scar-covered hands.

Neji stopped abruptly and held out his arm to halt her. He pressed a finger to his lips to signal for her silence. It was then that Sakura heard what he had already heard from a distance: the familiar slicing of air from a weapon of some sort.

The pair of ninja, one seeing and one blind, ducked quickly to avoid the sharp point of a kunai as it hissed past them. Neji had already closed his eyes which she found a long time ago that it was his battle mode.

"How can there be an enemy inside Konoha?" Sakura breathed so that Neji was the only able to hear her.

He shook his head in response to that question before he suddenly felt her weight on top of him. A small explosion went off near them, and that sound triggered something inside of Neji. He couldn't move anymore.

Fear. Hyuuga Neji felt _Fear_ seizing his body.

"Hyuuga-san, stay down!" He heard Sakura shout above him.

The darkness that he saw wavered just slightly as he heard the noise of fighting around him. He could hear Sakura's efforts as she fought off what he could guess five opponents. No one seemed to notice the poor, blind shinobi on the ground. Neji was breathing heavily, almost in a panic, as the sound of metal reverberating bit the air, grating against his sensitive hearing. He knew how foolish and weak he looked on the ground, not being able to help a fellow comrade who was protecting him with her life.

A humbling experience.

A changing experience.

Because right then, Neji transformed.

Sakura watched in complete incredulity as Neji suddenly sprang from the ground. His eyes were closed and his brows were knit together in the utmost concentration. Without realizing it, Neji was using the Juken style of combat that he had learned from when he could walk. Without _sight_, he was incredibly shutting down the enemies' chakra systems with his chakra-filled palms. The slightest sound made from the enemies, Neji was able to detect and go on the offensive.

"Hyuuga-san…" Sakura murmured in disbelief.

Neji stood in the middle of a circle arranged by the corpses of the shinobi who attacked them, his face scratched and clothes dirty again for the second time that day. He staggered on his feet, swaying dangerously. "Stop calling me that." He said in between huge gulps of air.

He collapsed.

Sakura rushed to him, wincing when she bumped a tight bruise, and checked his pulse swiftly. She listened for his breathing which was quite regular and calm and hoisted him on her back with difficulty. The man was rather tall and her short and it was awkward carrying him in that way, but she swallowed the discomfort. The kunoichi glanced at the headbands of the infiltrators and her soft green eyes widened considerably.

The Sound?

Deciding to alert Tsunade as soon as she got the unconscious Neji into bed, she hobbled as quickly as she could to his room. Gently, she laid him down and covered him with a blanket. Almost lovingly, though she would deny all accounts of it later, she swept his loose, coffee-tinted bangs from his sweaty face before getting up to leave.

What she saw next took her breath away.

A glimpse, a very slim glimpse, of someone who had killed her heart. Sakura almost flew after it, but when she looked down at Neji's sleeping face, she hesitated. No, she stopped all at once. It was as if she was rooted to the floor and couldn't leave him. He needed her here to protect him while he recovered.

She heard noises outside and shouts for guards to protect the house. Hiashi burst through the door and almost looked like he was about to fall back in relief at finding the two of them.

"They attacked while we were taking a walk. He's all right, but he just needs some time to rest. I'll watch him here." Sakura assured and the Hyuuga patriarch only nodded before heading out again.

"You don't need to stay." Neji breathed. Sakura barely restrained herself from jumping back.

"Hyuuga-san, you're awake! Are you feeling better?" She asked breathlessly. Neji remained still but he opened his eyes.

"Thank you for your efforts in protecting me."

Sakura relaxed and distractedly smoothed out his blankets. "It was nothing. You're the one who ended up protecting me anyway. Which reminds me," she said, sitting up straighter, "what happened back there?"

Neji shook his head. "I don't know. All I know was that I wanted to…protect." He faded off.

"Well, I do believe I owe you my life, Hyuuga-san."

He grimaced a little when he tried to sit up. She gently pushed him back down. He raised a hand to hold her wrist tenderly. "I've been meaning to thank you for saving mine. It's a little late."

The kunoichi put her free hand over the one he had placed on her wrist. "Better late than never, Hyuuga-san."

Neji's grip tightened, but not enough to hurt her. "That formal address…I request that you drop it."

Sakura chuckled. "If you request it of me, Neji-san."

He languidly laid back fully on the futon. "Better, Haruno."

"The spring is really beautiful, isn't it?"

Neji breathed in the fresh air that entered from his open window. "The one that I see is quite beautiful."

* * *

**Ending notes:** Next is Seeing Summer. Neji and Sakura are getting better. I think it's going to continue this way, thus the fluff that is about to pour in. Hopefully. I might have lied again. You'll know when I update again.

Thank you always for your support.


	6. Chapter 5

**Itonami:** Late, late, late, late, late, and late. I'm so late. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Disclaimer: I own Naruto only in my pathetic dreams.

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Chapter 5: Seeing Summer

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Spring had melted into summer in Konoha, the blossoms fading while vibrant green took their places. Even the mornings had become quite warm and the afternoons stifling hot. Such temperatures attacked the people of Konoha today. Heat waves could be seen rising from the ground, distorting vision successfully.

Haruno Sakura could hardly breathe because of the suffocating heat as she tried to fan herself. She wrinkled her nose rather cutely and wiped the sweat gathering on the back of her slender neck before turning to look at a shirtless Hyuuga Neji. She glared at him in envy at how he unaffected he seemed by the blistering high temperature.

"You can take off your shirt too, Haruno. I promise on Hyuuga honor that I won't peek." He said, unmoving from his meditating state. Neji heard her shuffle a little and he could almost see her sticking out her tongue at him.

His tenor voice teased her, a refreshing sound in the hotness. Sakura crossed her arms defiantly. "Well, _Hyuuga-san_, I didn't realize you were such a closet pervert. You could be worse than Naruto."

She enjoyed seeing him freeze at her words. "No one can be worse than Naruto." He said coolly.

"Do you enjoy telling innocent young women to take off their shirts?" Sakura continued mercilessly, determined to see the Hyuuga embarrassed.

"Do you enjoy gawking at sexy, shirtless men?"

Her mouth visibly dropped at his question. Neji chuckled easily and he gave a smirk akin to the arrogance that he once possessed before he lost his sight. But however much she looked at that smile, it wasn't the same kind of over-egotistical cockiness in the past, but a smaller confidence that fit just right with what he could do instead of his clan's name.

Sakura breathed out and quickly tossed away her red dress, revealing a black mesh shirt. She fell back on the porch, enjoying the sudden way she felt cool. Putting her hands behind her head, she sighed contently, attracting the attention the Hyuuga. He almost wished to see her with that smile he knew she had on her face.

As the two of them looked back, months had seemed like years to them, especially to Neji, since he thought that he wasn't progressing as much as he should. Sakura only reassured him that he was making excellent steps forward in getting better. Already, he could match her in taijutsu and control his chakra like he had before. With spending so much time together, they felt like they had known each other for their entire lives.

True, Neji had never told her about his frequent nightmares and, yes, Sakura had never told him about that time when she thought she had seen her Sasuke back in Konoha last spring. But that was hardly the point.

No one questioned what kind of relationship the two of them had, but even if someone had asked, they wouldn't have been able to answer.

Sakura supposed it was a business or a doctor-patient relationship, where she looked after Neji and he only focused on regaining his skills.

Neji, however, considered themselves as training partners, two people looking out for one another as they trained. It was quite straightforward to him.

It was safe to say that they were both wrong.

Each time the expert medic went to visit the Hyuuga, she felt herself becoming attached to him. She would blush heatedly if he teased her in that peculiar way of his, and it was getting harder to leave him each time. She would have to force herself to leave and not look back when doing so in order to restrain herself from running back to him so that she could hold him and tell him he was the person whom she admired the most for courage.

Neji, in return, found himself secretly wishing that time would go faster so that she would arrive sooner and when she was there, he secretly willed time to stop so that he could spend the entire day with her. Whether they were just on the porch meditating or exchanging conversation, he didn't care what they were doing. When she would leave, he would search his brain for any excuse for her to stay even a second longer. He secretly, unknowingly wished that a sudden blizzard would hail them inside.

But, this was exactly what they denied, so it couldn't be helped.

Sakura sat up and rested her weight back on her hands. "Hey, Neji-san, why don't we grab a bite to eat?"

This proposition was a rather radical concept since Neji hadn't wandered into the busy streets of Konoha since his blindness, and he was still uncomfortable in reacquainting with familiar people. He stiffened a little at her suggestion but tried not to show it. "Where do we want to go?"

She smiled, trying to put him at ease. "Just Ichiraku. I don't think you've eaten such good food in a while."

He gave her a thin smile before nodding. "You don't think we're going too fast?"

Sakura looked a little confused. "Too fast?"

"It's not everyday that you ask me out on a date." He said, smirking.

There was a shocked silence before he felt a painful punch on the arm. "That's not funny at all, Neji-san."

"I'm afraid you're going to lead the way. I don't know the directions to Ichiraku." He said, getting up to his feet. "Where did I leave my shirt?"

The rosette young woman tossed him the shirt which landed in his arms and stood up herself. Stretching, Sakura tried not to stare at the glorious form of Hyuuga Neji pulling the shirt over his body. The light beige color complimented the brown of his long hair and drew her gaze directly to it.

"You're staring again, Haruno."

She shook her head quickly and held him by the elbow. "Come on. It's not far."

Neji felt the familiar tug of her gentle hands and walked forward, somehow able to trust Sakura entirely that she wouldn't lead him into anything and warn him if something is in his path. This was a trust that had not come very easily, but once achieved it felt like he'd had it forever.

The road suddenly became level and smooth and the Hyuuga felt the hundreds of chakra masses all around him as they milled about their own business. The hand on his elbow seemed to reassure him and he forced himself not to go back home. It was time to stop secluding himself like some kind of hermit.

"Are we there yet?" Neji hissed under his breath so that only Sakura could hear what he was saying.

"Almost, Neji-san. Don't worry. They're hardly noticing you anyway."

What she told him was a lie, but Sakura prayed that he wouldn't notice the forced casualness in her tone. It was almost impossible to not to notice the tall figure of the Hyuuga and the paleness of his eyes, along with strikingly good looks. People would glance at the passing couple, especially at the handsome male, and turn to whisper to their strolling companions.

Sakura welcomed the sight of the small Ichiraku ramen stand, and picked up her pace, not worrying if the Hyuuga kept up. He did so easily.

"Sakura-chan! Neji! Over here!" Neji recognized Naruto's enthusiastic voice instantly.

Sakura was not at all surprised to find Naruto sitting beside a smiling Hinata. "It's amazingly hot today, isn't it?" She asked, pausing to dab sweat from her face. "You guys order anything yet?"

Hinata shook her head. "Naruto-kun was actually telling me about the mission that he came back from yesterday. He was so caught up in it that he forgot to order."

Neji smirked while the two women giggled as Naruto hungrily ordered the first two bowls of his ten bowl meal. He was seated beside Sakura and no longer felt that small hand on the crook of his elbow.

"Aren't you glad that you came out? This ramen smells delicious." Sakura said, patting his hand.

"I must admit that you were right. I haven't had ramen in three years."

Naruto almost choked on his noodles. "Three years? You haven't had ramen in two years? I would've died by then!"

The small group of friends laughed and talked for awhile.

"Neji!"

The Hyuuga turned to the sound of the feminine voice, knowing that he'd heard it somewhere before. He felt someone rush to him and embrace him tightly. "Neji, I heard about your eyes! I'm so sorry I haven't been visiting you!"

Neji smiled before patting the woman on the back a little awkwardly, but sincerely, and he was nostalgic when he smelled the familiar scent of lavender and metal. "How have you been doing, Tenten?"

Sakura watched, torn between being happy and jealous at the reunion of two teammates. She looked away when Naruto gleefully called out, "Lee!"

Rock Lee stood triumphantly in his tight green suit and he flashed them a cheerful white smile. "It's good to see all of Team Gai reunited under the beautiful spell of burning youth! Neji! Let us embark on the quest for youthfulness once again!"

Neji smiled softly and shook his head. "Lee, it's sad to say that I've lost my youthfulness." He said, his smirk communicating a sense of apology and sadness.

The round eyes of Lee grew even rounder at Neji's confession. "No! It cannot be true! Gai-sensei has always reminded us that it is impossible to lose the flame of our youth! Neji! Don't give up!" It was rather lucky that Neji couldn't see the bright light that reflected from Lee's teeth.

Naruto rubbed his eyes and held the bridge of his nose, feeling his eyes for any internal damage. "That one was brighter than the rest."

Sakura squinted. "I'll have to agree."

The woman named Tenten let go of Neji and sniffed. "So you really can't see?"

Neji nodded but gave her a reassuring smile. "Sakura has helped me recover these last few years."

Tenten looked relieved. "At least you have someone to look after you."

"You know I hate being babied, Tenten."

She prodded his forehead. "I'm afraid I'm light years further than you in maturity, Hyuuga Neji."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Without saying a word, Tenten led his hand on top of hers and he frowned when he felt something thin encircling her fourth finger. Neji smirked. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"The idiot over there." She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder where Lee could be heard ranting about the youth of all shinobi.

The Hyuuga nodded knowingly. "Great choice." There was no sarcasm in his voice. Tenten overcame her surprise.

"Thanks, Neji. You're sure you're going to be all right?" She asked in that motherly way.

He felt around for Sakura's hand. "I have Konoha's best medic to baby me. No need to worry, Tenten. I wish you all the happiness with Lee."

Chocolate eyes met with emerald and they met with trusting understanding. "Thanks." It was a reply to Neji and a grateful remark to Sakura.

The medic smiled pleasantly. "Best of luck with Lee-san, Tenten-san."

"Neji, take care. I'll come visit sometime."

"If you say so, Tenten." Neji waved her off.

"You're always so indifferent, Neji. Be a little nicer to your teammate." Tenten pouted.

"I am nice."

Sakura sighed while grinning. "Are you sure you know what that means?"

The Hyuuga prodigy could only smile and shake his head. "It's a surprise that _you_ know what that means."

"Your ramen is here." Sakura sighed, knowing that he had defeated her in a word battle.

Tenten quietly watched the comfortable interaction between them, a smile coming to her face. Turning to go, she saw Lee wildly and energetically displaying his youth. "Lee, put the stool down and we have to meet Tsunade-sama in five minutes."

"Of course, my beautiful flower of youth!" He shouted with a rather impressive salute.

With a wave of a good bye, the happy couple stepped into the hot weather once more, leaving behind the four friends. Sakura could not help but wonder if Neji was at least a little jealous of Tenten and Lee, seeing that he had also once been a part of Team Gai.

"You wonder if I feel left out now." Neji stated calmly as if he knew of the debate of whether or not to voice her question.

The kunoichi chuckled weakly as she gazed at her bowl of noodles. "You know me too well."

She snuck a peek sideways to see a small smile twitch at his lips. "I have always felt a little lonely even in my days with the two of them. Perhaps most of it was my fault, since I refused to befriend them completely. Being honest, I am happy for the two of them, especially Tenten. She deserves someone as loyal and devoted as Lee."

Sakura nodded and prodded his shoulder. "Ne, you ate all of your ramen already, Neji-san."

Neji put his chopsticks down and calmly sat while she finished hers. "We should return to the house now."

Knowing that all of today's excitement could have unnerved him a little, Sakura quickly agreed. The pair of oddly coupled shinobi excused themselves early, and they walked back to the manor quietly without much conversation.

"The sun hasn't backed off in the least." Sakura grumbled as they continued onward. Neji pulled back his hair and let it go again, an action that signaled his concurrence.

"Haruno, don't you have missions to do? Or have you taken a liking to me and just can't stand to leave me?" He asked with that gruff teasing tone that Sakura dreaded and yearned at the same time.

"Of course, I have missions, but I just help out at the hospital for now. Tsunade-sama refuses to give me anymore missions until I've recuperated."

This time, two eyebrows were raised the slightest fraction upward. "Recuperate from what?"

Sakura tried to shake it off with a nonchalant shrug. "Nothing much. Just over-worked."

Neji did not press the matter but suddenly recognized the gradual nearing of familiar Byakugan chakra. The entire Hyuuga manor was encompassed with it.

"Watch your step." Sakura said as they traveled along that uneven road toward the front entrance. The Hyuuga beside her mentally counted thirty-two steps before he knew he had come right to the stairs. Gracefully, he undid the sandals that adorned his feet and waited for her to kick her training sandals off.

"Are you feeling up to some fruit? It would help with the digestion for the ramen." Neji suggested in a controlled, mannered voice.

Sakura let go of his elbow, seeing that there was no need to keep guiding him; he knew the entire house by memory. She followed the ever-gracious host to their usual place on the porch before answering with a grateful nod. "That would be great."

Soon, with an assortment of different fruits arranged on a small dish between them, Sakura and Neji were back to where they started. The temperatures had begun to drop now that it was early evening, the sun losing some of its radiance to the fading day.

They sat quietly, enjoying the various fruits and their sweet flavor in their mouths. There was nothing to really say or do between them, but it was never awkward. They had lost that awkwardness a long time ago.

Sakura was the first to put her slender fork down on the plate as she finished eating. She turned to observe the Hyuuga beside her, who had also finished eating.

"Neji-san—"

"Sakura—"

Surprised that they had uttered each other's names at the same time, Sakura and Neji both fell into an expectant silence.

"Go ahead, Neji-san."

"Iie, it was nothing."

"Are you sure?" Sakura tried to keep out the hopeful tone out of her voice.

"I'm sure. It was nothing, really."

There was a slight pause. "Do you want to spar?"

He didn't hide the look of surprise but he nodded anyway. He got up first and realized that their shoes were at the front steps. "I'll get them." Without waiting for her reply, Neji made his way to the door and counted three steps down and stooped to pick up his and Sakura's sandals.

When he arrived back, he could sense her chakra being pumped throughout her entire system as a warm up. The blind shinobi tossed Sakura her pair of shoes and bent to put his on. Neji then closed his eyes and slid his left foot back and extended his right, his left arm stretched out in front with his right loaded behind, and he crouched minutely to give him some balance at the hips to create the Juken style of combat.

"Already serious, Neji-san?"

He smirked with his eyes still delicately closed. "Should we just fight with taijutsu?"

She returned his smirk with one of her own. "Why not? I wouldn't want to destroy your beautiful manor anyway."

Sakura had barely enough time to block a powerful upward kick. She mentally cursed herself for speaking. He could detect her with the slightest bit of noise made. Hyuuga Neji was truly a shinobi not to be provoked.

It was a battle of mock silence now. And Sakura knew he had the upper hand. There was not a sound that escaped the keen hearing of Neji. She caught his foot as he kicked and tried to knock askew his balance from his center of gravity. The initial plan failed.

Hyuuga Neji knew that he had the battle in his favor when he felt her get defensive. He felt the rush of wind against his face, and accordingly ducked to avoid a kick to the head. Using the direction of where the kick had originated, he struck out with a fist only to meet air, and that when he knew that she had figured out never to be in the same place after attacking. She was smart, he'd give her that.

Even more blows were exchanged quickly before Neji suddenly caught her wrist as she lashed out. There was a small pause of movement before he spun her around and pinned her body against him. He slipped out a kunai to put against her neck and felt her chest rise in a melodic laugh.

"You cheated, Neji-san."

"We never banned weapons, Haruno." He replied coolly as he let her go.

Sakura watched him shift and his feet and slowly start towards her. "What were you going to say?"

"Eh?"

"Before we sparred. You were going to say something."

The kunoichi chuckled secretively. "Same goes for you too, Neji-san."

Neji walked past her while rapidly thinking of something to say. "Tomorrow is my birthday."

Something inside of Sakura sank with disappointment, but she put up a dazzling smile. "Yes, I know, Neji-san, and tomorrow at seven, there is going to be a celebration. Are you asking me to attend?" She teased.

"You have for the last two years. Why not this year?"

She looked a little dazed as she followed him back to the house. "Yes, why not?" She murmured.

"Wouldn't you like to say something else?" Neji asked expectantly.

The medic looked up and kept her pace with him. "Next year, Neji-san. I'll tell you next year."

"Why not this year?"

She squinted and thought hard about his question. "I don't know. I'll tell you next year."

He grunted, those pale eyes stirring with an emotion. "You'll leave me in the dark for another year?"

Sakura laughed at the teasing, purposeful irony of his words. "I'm afraid so, Neji-san. You'll just have to wait another year."

"I hope you have a very good present for my birthday. A man expects rewards for being good."

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The next day, Sakura gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and a small box. The kiss sufficed already, but he grew curious as to what was in the box. He shook it but heard nothing inside it. Perhaps it was fasted to the bottom of the box. Reaching inside, Neji let his hand explore the vacant space of the container.

Frowning, the Hyuuga looked inquisitive. "Haruno, are you stupid?"

Sakura blanched at his sudden comment. "No!"

"Then, you have a very twisted sense of what a present is. Let me remind you that it is not the mere giving of an empty box. There should be something inside it. Is this your way of mocking my blindness?"

"What are you talking about? The box is full of things."

"Yes, Haruno, that would be something described as air."

She giggled and she took his hand. "Well, Neji-san, I've put all the things that you can't see in this box: trust, companionship, compassion, sympathy, courage, faith, and respect. These are things that we both can't see, no matter the eyesight of a person."

Neji seemed to look at her for a long time, those blank eyes now filled with something that she could not decipher. "I think you've recited those words in the mirror a few times."

The earned him a prod on the forehead.

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**Ending notes:** Very good. Sorry for the delay! I've had so much writer's blocks with this that it isn't funny. Gosh, thank you for everything! You guys are still supporting me! 


	7. Chapter 6

**Itonami:** Wow, thank you for the reviews. I enjoyed reading all of them. Oh, and very sorry for the typo when Naruto is talking. It's supposed to be three years. Now, this is set in the fourth year.

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Sasuke would have never left and Itachi would be loved by all. But, I don't.

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Chapter 6: Seeing Truth

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Sakura was twenty four now, while Neji met his twenty fifth birthday few months ago. Now, it was autumn once more, the season where Neji's sight had been lost. However, surprisingly, Neji didn't seem to dwell on the topic so much; he had accepted the season for its unseen beauty and secret gratitude that he had been able to meet Sakura through this season.

Even through the ruckus in the bar, Neji could hear her soft breathing beside him, and allowed him to be less alert than usual. The warm air made the Hyuuga feel lazy and languid as he played with the small sake cup in his fingers but his mind was still aware of everything happening around him, especially Naruto.

"This calls for a celebration!" Naruto shouted. "Neji, welcome back to the ninja field!"

There was a hearty agreement to the toast among the many shinobi gathered that late evening in a small, cozy bar. Haruno Sakura smiled at the raise of glasses while she only sipped some water while everyone else had sake; she was one who could not hold her alcohol anyway. The men chorused a bout of laughter when Naruto choked on his drink when he tried to toss the contents in one gulp.

It was a special day indeed, one truly worth celebrating.

Hyuuga Neji had taken the jounin test once more and passed it with flying colors, shocking the judges with the new Neji who had emerged triumphantly. True, he no longer could use the many of the Hyuuga clan's special abilities such as the Rokujuu Yonshou, but he had adapted the Kaiten for his use only. He was among the top jounins to graduate.

Neji sat back in his chair quietly with Sakura beside him, both smiling a little at the loud, childish antics of Kiba and Naruto, while the festivities continued. Neji was glad that his mind was almost able to picture everyone around him, each bringing their own piece of comfort and warmth with them.

"Hey, Neji, I heard that you're getting assigned a mission straight away. How does it feel?" Naruto asked with his face flushed from the light alcohol, taking a seat beside the blind ninja.

The one addressed smirked. "Like a ninja."

The blonde patted his back, earning him a slight scowl, but he paid no attention to it. "Good answer, Hyuuga. You want some more sake?"

Sakura daintily plucked the white bottle from her friend's hand. "I don't think so, Naruto."

Neji almost sighed with relief at her rescue but merely chuckled. "I wouldn't want to trouble Haruno by taking home a drunk Hyuuga."

The pale eyes seemed to pierce Sakura's soul when he turned to look at her as he was talking, though he wasn't directing the conversation to her. She felt tremors down her arms but she promptly ignored them when she saw Lee and Tenten enter the bar and stood up to wave them over to the table.

"Sakura-san! You look very much filled with the springtime of youth!" Lee exclaimed while smiling. Tenten did the same as a strange, keen look filled her face when she spotted the medic sitting next to her former teammate.

The couple went over to warmly congratulate Neji and sat beside him but they passed on the sake. Sakura graciously excused herself, feeling a little out of place with the reunited Team Gai, and went outside to get some air.

Neji felt her presence softly disappear and its vacancy distracted him the conversation.

Sakura breathed in the fresh air that was free of the alcoholic scent and the lukewarm feeling as she leaned against the wall to let her mind wander freely.

"The two of you seem so comfortable with each other."

Startled, the kunoichi turned around to meet a completely sober Naruto. The door shut behind him. His deep blue eyes twinkled but they were not even half as tipsy as he had led people to believe in the bar; he wasn't exactly the type to get drunk. He stood a good foot over the top of her head as he stood next to her with his hands in his pockets, letting out a breath while a fond smile hovered on his lips.

"You really like him, don't you?" He said quietly.

Sakura was taken aback at his sudden resolution but smiled at his bluntness since he was never a person who was circuitous. "He's a good man."

"And you like him."

She hesitated, biting her lip. "No, I'm sure I don't."

"He doesn't remind you of Sasuke." He said, turning to look at her in order to catch any reaction.

Sakura faltered visibly in her answer. "He doesn't…" She faded uncertainly, confusion clouding her pretty face as her slender brows drew together.

Naruto rested a hand on her slim shoulder with a firm, reassuring hand. "Come on, let's go in."

The rosette declined with a shaky smile. "Nah, you go on in. I'll be in later."

With a last glance at the perplexed Sakura, Naruto returned to the celebration as if he had never left it, but what he had said still remained with the kunoichi, like an itch she couldn't reach or satisfy. She couldn't be sure of what he was trying to say to her, and she certainly wasn't sure of how she felt towards Neji. Deep in thought, she didn't hear the door swing open again.

"Not enjoying the party, Haruno?"

That bass ring in his voice was enough to send delighted shivers down her spine.

"I just came out to get some air, Neji-san." Sakura replied with a small chuckle.

She felt him glide up right next to her so that she could feel the heat radiating from his skin. "I noticed that you were never good at lying."

She laughed aloud this time, and the sightless shinobi wondered absently if there was another melody on earth equal to it.

"You noticed correctly. How do you do it, Neji-san, all of that people-reading when you can't see?"

Neji pursed his lips. "A vibe. People have different vibes. I've just learned to recognize each one."

Sakura sighed. "That sounds mysterious."

Neji took her wrist. "Is there a problem?" She knew he was asking her if something was wrong.

She shook her head. "Iie, there's no problem. I thought I'd leave to let you talk freely with your team."

A frown graced his handsome, dark face. "You worry too much."

She leaned against his shoulder. "And you worry too little."

"A compromise, Haruno." He said with a new smirk.

"Would you like to go in now?" Sakura asked, parting from his side.

She led him inside—she was weary of the many tables that were in their way—and had to weave in and out while half wondering how Neji had come to get her by himself. The kunoichi seated him in his regular seat while she cast a puzzled look to Naruto then to Lee and Tenten. All of them feigned indifference.

Hours passed by them like seconds but all of them were still lively and energetic through it all. Kakashi had joined them in the middle, his lazy eye crossing over the spectacle of Sakura conversing with Neji with a genuine smile on her face. It crinkled with good humor and gleamed in a shrewd notion. It soon went back to being occupied by the pages of a certain book.

Lee and Tenten got up to leave. "I am confident that your burning flame of youth will never die, my eternal rival! We will be able to once again be able to experience the wonders of teamwork! I must inform Gai-sensei!"

Tenten cast her past comrade with an apologetic look but followed with a last congratulatory remark to Neji. "I hope we get assigned missions again. Just like old times."

The Hyuuga gave her a dry smile. "Old times it is, Tenten."

Naruto and Kiba soon exhausted themselves at the end and still reaching for any bottle of sake left. The other ninjas chuckled as they helped each one find a chair to sleep on. Asuma challenged Genma into a game of darts which turned out to be a tie, but Genma was voted to be the winner because of his cool pose when throwing the darts.

"Haruno, what time is it? It feels like midnight." Hyuuga Neji commented quietly during the carousal, turning to face Sakura.

She snuck a peek at the clock positioned on the wall. "A little over midnight. Would you like to go home?"

He nodded and he stood with Sakura's hand on his elbow again just in case he wanted reassurance. Naruto looked heavily disappointed—even through his wasted countenance—that Sakura and Neji were leaving so soon, but he perked up while smiling mischievously. "Have fun."

The pink-haired kunoichi took a swipe at him playfully before bowing to the rest. "We'll go now, thanks for inviting me."

Neji nodded to where he sensed the huge masses of chakra. "It was an honor."

The men waved them away. "Go and be wild, Neji. Sakura's not a bad looking girl, you know. She's grown a lot."

The Hyuuga raised an eyebrow at that but gave them a small smile. "She's probably looking for a man who can actually see her."

They laughed, not unkindly, and they directed their eyes to the woman in question. "So, are you looking for a man as of yet, Sakura?"

Sakura gave them a teasing smile. "I'm afraid Neji-san can qualify to be twice the man than some of you."

The rugged males whooped and gave a loud cheer to her. "Sakura's been taken, men!"

The couple left the men with their merrymaking and stepped out into the cool, autumn night. They strolled leisurely down the street, neither bothering to talk much, but they seemed to enjoy the refreshing sound of the breeze as it whisked past them.

The Hyuuga house loomed into their view, its oriental architecture giving off a foreboding ambience. She walked with him to the porch steps and smiled.

"Congratulations on making jounin again, Neji-san."

Neji gave her a smile reserved for her eyes only. "It was all thanks to you, Haruno. Be careful on your way back."

"I will. Good night." She turned to leave, but heard his footsteps nearing, steady and unfaltering on the uneven pathway.

His warm hand hurriedly, almost desperately, clasped around her wrist and they stayed that way for a full minute, neither not knowing what to do. Pastel gray orbs swam with confusion but he refused to let her go.

"Don't go."

Neji could have agreed that his voice sounded absolutely pathetic and weak to his own ears and it seemed to echo embarrassingly in the night air, and he could barely keep his cheeks from heating. "You still have to tell me."

Sakura's aqua green eyes widened with slight confusion. "Tell you what?"

"What you wanted to tell me a year ago." This time, his eyes truly caught hers and Sakura could believe that he was able to see again, this time, into her heart.

The kunoichi couldn't take her eyes away from his face, which seemed to inquire something much more than just a mere answer to his request. She wanted to look away, somehow tell him, ignore him, or do something do distract him. But he knew that. He had her trapped his gentle words so that she couldn't escape this time like she had the year before. It had been eating away at him for awhile now.

There was a long silence.

"There was the day in the spring," Sakura's voice began in a hoarse whisper that hardly passed her cherry lips, "I saw him…past the house—this house—and I couldn't…leave you…"

The Hyuuga was breathless in her words, caught up in the warmth of the woman's hands as they unconsciously wrapped around the front of his shirt. "Who did you see?"

She trembled and shook her head. "A dead man."

Something in Neji's mind clicked like a puzzle piece in its rightful place. "A dead man whom you love." His voice was flat and not one that he was very pleased with.

Sakura lifted her face to the dark skies to let out a small noise. "I don't know."

"Uchiha Sasuke is still in your mind."

"I don't know." She replied again mysteriously.

She felt herself being embraced fully in his arms and his mouth right next to her ear. "Then, I will tell you my own secret."

It was awkward that the couple was standing on the cobblestone path in front of the Hyuuga manor, the tall man holding the petite woman as gently as a fragile porcelain doll, but none of it seemed to matter much. Neji could only feel how delightedly perfect her form fit into his own and he could sense the fear creeping into his stomach. '_Am I even allowed this kind of emotion? Am I not fated to live alone and destined to walk that isolated path? How can it be?' _

'_How can I feel so perfect with her?'_

His breathing sped up at these thoughts, his breath tickling her nerves as he whispered. "I can see. I can see blood in my dreams. Every time I awake, I can only see the same darkness as I do now, but I can see blood when I sleep."

Sakura inhaled sharply, smelling the sweet scent of rain and soap on his clothes. "I could only see the lies before." She breathed.

Wordlessly, Hyuuga Neji drew her into the house and entered his room as if in a trance. He slid the door shut and silently proceeded to kiss her face—her eyes, her nose, and her cheeks—until he came upon her full lips. He pressed his lips to hers and awaited her response. It was slow, intentional, but it came willingly and readily.

Delicate hands moved on their own accord, exploring the inside of Neji's kimono over his firm chest and flat abdominal muscles, leaving his skin heated and flushed. Her mind screamed at her to stop, but instead, Sakura pushed the kimono back over his lean shoulders and then allowed her hands to travel up to his silky hair, her impatient fingers entangling themselves in the long locks.

Their kiss heightened in their passion when their eager lips met once more as the Hyuuga's hands roamed under her shirt, tenderly brushing his thumb over her navel before letting the other hand move to unzip the garment. Her skin was soft and creamy to his touch but he could clearly hear the mental sirens blare in his mind which caused him stop midway. Somehow, his thoughts became clearer and emerged from the haziness of their kisses, his sightless eyes enlarging in size at what was happening.

A stern hand stopped Sakura in the process of untying the sash that held his training kimono together. Neji pulled apart from her, his breathing labored and rapid that matched the kunoichi's pace, and he slipped his arms back into his sleeves.

"Forgive me, Sakura." His deep, velvet voice sounded sad.

Sakura looked at him in confusion. "I-I don't understand, Neji. Were you…just teasing me? Did you do this…on purpose?" She asked as she freely let the pain and hurt color her tone.

She found herself in his embrace again. "I was wrong about us. I can now see the truth."

Her eyes watered with tears as she realized what he was saying. "I can see it too."

"I hope you can forgive me, Sakura."

Suppressing a sob with difficulty, she managed a smile. "Will we continue like we have before, Neji?"

His chest rose with a heavy, almost inaudible sigh. "I would like that, Haruno."

"You won't regret this, right, Neji-san?"

Neji fingered a strand of her lovely hair. "You don't live by regretting."

* * *

Haruno Sakura continued to be by Neji's side throughout the mission assigned to them a couple weeks later, forgetting their intimacy but remembering the message of that night.

A successful escort mission, they returned safely and in one piece. Their conversation on the return trip back home was light and casual, not dwelling on what had happened or how they felt.

"I'm glad I stopped you from knocking our escort unconscious." Sakura grinned.

Neji scowled. "He was irritating."

"He just found it fascinating that you were blind. Take it as a compliment." She said airily.

The blind shinobi always traveled behind her in order to hear the sound of her feet landing on the branches so that he could judge the distance he had to leap. He hoped that she couldn't see the proud smirk on his face.

They did not reflect back on that night but took it as a lesson that they had taught to each other. Each of them made one thing perfectly clear: love could not happen between them.

Neither really questioned why. It just hadn't seemed right.

Neji's nightmares still plagued him at night and Sakura still trembled at the picture of Sasuke that she kept in her room. Regular visits and frequent chanced meetings kept them informed and updated with each other.

The Hyuuga male mourned the death of his uncle in the late fall with Sakura beside him while she bowed to the shrine almost apologetically, her heart secretly burdened. In Hiashi's will, he named Neji as the successor of the clan. There was little opposition when Neji formally took the title in December.

"Neji-san, have those nightmares stopped yet?" She asked that same night of the inauguration as they sat in his room, privately secluded from the other members of the clan.

The said man shook his head. "I think I'll have to get used to them, Haruno."

Sakura poured tea and put the cup in his hands before sipping her own. "I forgot to congratulate you."

He smiled that small, reserved smile. "And I forgot to thank you for coming."

She giggled. "If I come to your birthday parties, I'm sure to come to such an important celebration."

"My birthdays are not as important as today? And here I thought I was special to have you come to my birthdays." He scoffed.

"Don't flatter yourself. Nobody's that special." She teased vigorously.

Neji closed his eyes. "Oh, but I must be."

Sakura laughed and her eyes sparkled. "You're in a good mood today."

"Do you prefer me to be sour and insensitive?"

Neji knew she had just wrinkled her nose. "No, I was just commenting."

He smirked before changing the subject. "Have you heard that Tsunade-sama is about to name Naruto as the next Hokage?"

She nodded. "He's worked his entire life for it."

"Then I assume you know that he asked Hinata to marry him?"

There was a shocked silence which the newly named patriarch had to smile through. Sakura was stunned. "That sly fox! He didn't tell me! When are they getting married?"

The handsome shinobi paused to think. "I believe in the summer."

"That's when Lee-san and Tenten-san are getting married!" She beamed at the news.

Neji tilted his head to one side. "Lee insisted."

The couple fell silent and Sakura busied herself by collecting their tea cups and placing them on the tray. "I should be leaving now. It's getting pretty late, Neji-san."

He stood. "Of course."

The kunoichi gracefully got up from her kneeling position and followed him out of the room and into the family room. Many people were gathered there, laughing and conversing merrily, while eating desert and fruit. Most of them paused from what they were doing to bow to the Hyuuga leader as he walked past to the entrance doors.

With his hands tucked into his elaborate ceremonious kimono, Neji bid his female companion good bye. "Keep in touch."

"As always, Hyuuga-sama." She said, noticing how his eyes flashed with unfamiliarity at the title. "Not used to it?"

He shook his head, but offered her a smile anyway. "I will eventually. I hope you won't start addressing me that way, Haruno."

A mischievous glint sparked in her emerald eyes. "I don't know; it does have a certain ring to it, don't you think?"

Neji frowned severely at her. "I'm warning you, Haruno."

He heard her giggle. "I hope being the clan's leader doesn't make you an uptight prick."

The man let out a derisive snort. "Don't trip on any stones on the way."

"I won't, Neji-san! I'll see you later!" She said while laughing, skipping like a little girl down the pathway.

Neji stayed at the door until the sound of her footsteps faded away into the night, and he found himself missing her the minute he heard the noise disappear.

There would be no regret, Neji told himself strongly. No regret of missing the only chance at love with the only woman that accepted him and certainly no regret of not being able to see her beautiful face once again.

None at all.

* * *

**Ending notes: **Wow, I think this may be one of thecrappiest chapters I've written. I hope you all liked it and I definitely hope that it was worth the wait. I've had so many writer's blocks and I just wanted to give up.

But you all insisted. Thank you all. I love you.

No, really, I do.


	8. Chapter 7

**Beginning notes:** I'm back! I know, I'm late, but I almost ran out of ideas of how to continue. Upon reading the latest Naruto chapters, I was inspired yet once again. Thank you for all of your support.

I just love it when my readers have questions. It really makes me happy that they are paying attention to detail and the emerging plot and not just "reading" it. Simply makes me feel all warm inside.

**Someone asked why Hiashi didn't give Neji his own pair of Byakugan when he died.** Truthfully, I did think about that, but since Neji had worked so hard to arrive at where he is now without it, I thought his uncle should respect that. That's just my interpretation, and I hope you don't mind. I'll just continue with a blind Neji. His blindness is a rather big factor to the story.

This will now continue on from the **Prologue**, and I will build a new present arc from here.

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, why am I not a millionaire?

* * *

Chapter 7: Seeing Companionship

* * *

Haruno Sakura's hair was completely dry by the time Neji had finished relating his dreams and her mind tightly spellbound by his words, and his soft spoken voice that seemed to master her senses after a couple of sentences.

Time had slipped by without either of their notice, each one occupied by the other, caught up in the moment rarely shared between them. It was getting dark outside, the sun giving into the peaceful silence of the night, its natural luminosity disappearing to be as bright as a raven's feathers. The man and woman let the silence fill in between them, their hearts comfortable and content with the cloak of darkness that passed over them like a lasting shadow.

"I never knew how much you dreamt about the past." Sakura was the first to speak.

Neji paused before answering. "Perhaps I've never been able to let it go. Perhaps I am regretting everything without really realizing it." His voice was quiet and sounded ashamed in the woman's ears.

The medic sighed, sharing in his weariness. "Neji-san, I hope that someday you can sleep in peace."

A miniscule smile surfaced on the Hyuuga's face. "It sounds like you're wishing me to die."

"You know that's far from what I really meant, Neji-san." She scolded lightly, the mood lightening with his bit of wry humor.

The Hyuuga's eyebrows suddenly inclined upwards as if struck by a sudden realization. "It must be late. Stay for dinner since you stayed listening to my ramblings." He gave her a little honest smile.

"Iie, I'll have to pass on that one. I promised Tsunade-sama that I'd visit her in the hospital."

He gave nod to acknowledge her. "Then you should hurry. Tell me how she is doing."

"Hai."

As the pair of ninja rose from their seats, Sakura commented airily, "My legs might not be able to carry me there." It was true; her legs felt like jelly from kneeling the entire time during Neji's dreams, but the patriarch looked at her curiously.

"Would you like me to carry you, Haruno? You could just ask."

Sakura's face flushed a flustered red while she mentally cursed his sense of sardonic wit. "I can get along just fine without you, Hyuuga-sama."

He nodded sagely, mocking her seriousness and stiff tone of voice. "Yes, but can you walk without me?"

She pointedly ignored his teasing question and crossed her arms across her chest. "Where do you take your dinner, Hyuuga-sama? In your room, I suppose?"

"I'll walk you to the gates first. The dinner can wait."

Neji blinked once before he took her by the elbow and led to the front entrance. He slipped on his wooden sandals and waited while Sakura wrestled her feet into her shoes. They walked together, the road familiar and still uneven, but no words passed between them. There was not much to say; besides, they had spent the entire day together just talking and conversing. At the gates, Sakura grasped his hand in reassurance and bid him a good night.

"If you happen to have that nightmare again, I'll stay with you tomorrow night." The kunoichi promised.

The Hyuuga couldn't decline and so he agreed with that same, unchanging smile. "It is a promise then."

Sakura stepped back a couple of paces with his hand still in hers, her arm outstretched to make up for the greater distance between them. "I'll bring news of Tsunade-sama's illness, but she should be in the clear for the month."

Their hands disconnected and Sakura found herself hurrying down the street, refusing to look back at the solid figure of Hyuuga Neji listening to her fading footsteps. She knew she would turn back and accept his dinner invitation.

The rosette visited a store to buy a bowl of instant ramen and some fruits before continuing her journey. She quickly traveled to the hospital, a white building among the shops and houses surrounding it, and heard her feet pat softly on the tiled floors as she walked towards the room at the end of the third hallway. Opening the door, she saw a rather large-breasted blonde woman sitting up in her hospital bed with a magazine in hand, reading spectacles adorning her face.

"Tsunade-sama, I hope you ate your dinner."

The Godaime looked as sassy as ever when she looked up to meet Sakura. She gave her a mischievous grin. "How do you expect me to eat overcooked noodles floating in bland soup?"

"That's why I brought you these." Sakura stated while restraining an irrepressible smile from appearing. Handing the excited Godaime the ramen and the fruit, Sakura turned to ask a nurse for boiled water.

Tsunade stopped cooing over her new edible companions and gazed at the back of Haruno Sakura, her apprentice and daughter. She had come to care for the pink-haired young woman, thinking of her as her own child, a child that she never got to have during her wild, gambling life.

"Sakura, you keep too many secrets." The elder woman commented while shining an apple that was the color of her pupil's eyes.

A soft, fond half-smile twitched at Sakura's lips. "You always know everything."

"It's my job. I don't get paid to just sit in my office all day doing nothing." Tsunade scoffed with some bite. "I'll take a random guess and say that this high level of stress is because of Hyuuga Neji."

"Wow, you are good, Shishou." Sakura mused. She still stood with her back to her teacher.

"He's everything you've wished for, isn't he?"

Sakura tensed at her words. Tsunade took her chances and shifted into a more comfortable position on the bed. "Sakura, you can't do this to yourself. Neji can't do this to himself either. How can you both deny such an obvious thing? Now, both of you are two of the most intelligent shinobi around. I simply don't understand what's happening."

"Sasuke." It was barely a whisper and the Hokage's hearing was in decay, but she knew what Sakura was talking about.

Tsunade could not contain an exasperated sigh. "Isn't it time to move on, Sakura?"

The kunoichi wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling cold and isolated. "I don't know anything."

"If you don't, who does?"

"Neji-san and I…we don't want to get hurt."

The Godaime threw open her sheets and patted the small space next to her. "Come here, Sakura." The rosy-haired ninja amenably complied and Tsunade put her strong, reassuring arms around her beloved student.

"Isn't that what love is? Trial and error?"

Sakura was silent and did not respond to the question that seemed to weigh on her mind much heavily than she wanted it to. She gazed at her busy fingers that played distractedly with the sheets but looked up when the nurse knocked, bearing the hot water for the instant ramen. Pouring some into the styrofoam cup, she covered it with a thin book wordlessly.

Tsunade clasped her hands and sighed. "Sakura, I wanted to talk to you about something."

The rosette stopped rearranging the flowers in a glass vase beside the bed and glanced at her mentor. "About what?" She asked a little conscientiously.

"There is a mission that I have been thinking and planning for because of a high alert that has been put out by all of the Hidden villages. I am assigning you and several other ANBU and jounins for a recon mission. It might be dangerous, but there's a high chance that you're not going to encounter anyone if you all are careful."

The thought of a mission excited her and the thought of Neji suddenly faded from her mind. "I'm ready."

The old woman looked satisfied. "Good, then there will be a private meeting in my office tomorrow. I'll give you a list of the people assigned and you can be my beautiful little herald and deliver them accordingly."

After the visit in the hospital, Sakura headed straight home with her nose buried in the mission folder compiled with information and important plans. Her pulse quickened at the names _Orochimaru_ and _Kabuto_. Perhaps if she kept her head straight, there wouldn't be any worries and trouble.

She entered her cozy home and plopped herself down on a chair with her elbows resting on the circular dining table in front, and she slid out the list of people who were to join her in the mission. A knock interrupted her. Sakura jumped, startled, and scrambled quickly as if she was involved in an illegal, clandestine act.

Clearing her throat as she slipped the mission folder out of sight, she called out, "Who is it?"

"A fox."

She giggled and bounced merrily to the door to welcome her friend inside. Indeed, the golden-haired young shinobi grinned merrily at the medic ninja before stepping inside at her gesture. His eyes became foxy slits as he looked around slyly.

"You haven't changed this place at all." He remarked as he went around inspecting everything from wall to wall. He snuck a mischievous look at her. "How come Neji-chan's picture isn't here?"

She snorted. "What is with you and Neji-san lately? He doesn't like taking pictures anyway."

It was apparently just the opening he needed. "Oh? And if he liked to take pictures, then you'd have tons up on your walls here?"

She looked away and didn't reply.

He pressed forward. "Well, I don't blame you. All the girls in this village want a picture of that son of a gun."

"Now you're just teasing. And I want you to know that you're not funny at all." She pouted before giggling brightly. "Why'd you come find me at this time of night?"

"I wanted some lunch money for tomorrow. I ran out." Naruto joked. Sakura gave him a hard look.

"Alright, alright, I just came to talk. Hinata is upset…about something. I'm not really sure what." The man scratched his head, his countenance clearly confused and distressed. "I was just wondering if you could talk to her about it. Besides, I'm sure you'd like to go see Neji-chan at the manor. So, what do you say? Just talk to her, please?"

The rosette could see the imploring look in his cobalt orbs and she knew that she couldn't say no. "Alright, but you're going to have to fix it. I'm not a relationship fixer, got it?"

He nodded with vigor and clasped her hands in his. "Thank you, Sakura-chan."

She waved him off and sighed. "You're hopeless."

* * *

The morning beheld a cooler temperature than most days and Sakura was not prepared for it. The hair on her arms rose at the chill as she leisurely journeyed to the familiar Hyuuga house, her feet automatic as they kept walking.

The familiar grounds opened to her, the guards outside unquestioning her presence but rather welcoming to the medical ninja who had helped their patriarch recover. She made her way to the family room (the Hyuuga manor was always lively even before six) and greeted the house members. Sakura asked for Hinata, which seemed to surprise many since the pretty young woman usually asked for the head Hyuuga.

She was led to Hinata, who was peacefully sitting on the porch, still in her sleeping yukata. Sakura sighed contently with a smile as she sat down next to her petite friend. "It's a little cold, Hinata-chan. Shouldn't you go inside?"

"Iie, I like the weather today, Sakura-chan. Gives me peace."

"You know, I just kind of wanted to apologize for not talking to you more often. Everything with Neji-san and his recovery has kept me rather busy." She murmured, though she knew that it didn't serve as a legitimate excuse. The female Hyuuga didn't seem to mind.

"I know you mean all the best, Sakura-chan. I'm grateful that you have helped him recover. It means everything to the Hyuuga clan."

"You and Naruto seem to be doing well. I'm always envious of you two."

Hinata blushed. "There isn't anything to be jealous about. Not everything is perfect, you know."

Sakura carefully took the opening and probed gently. "Oh, I hope there aren't any problems between the both of you."

Hinata looked at the pink-haired woman with her large, ivory eyes, which were suddenly full of tears. "I'm afraid to get married! What if he decides that he doesn't love me anymore?" She cried out helplessly as she wept into her hands.

Sakura, taken with surprise and pity, gathered the sobbing woman in her arms and tried to condole her to the best of her abilities. "Oh, Hinata-chan, don't worry about that! Naruto is so happy that he is going to marry you soon! You'll see. There will be nothing on earth that will stop him from getting married to you." she held Hinata at an arm's length to give her a reassuring wink, "You know him to be like that."

"Know who to be like that, may I ask?"

The two women gasped in surprise at the stealth of how Neji seemed to have appeared at the doorway behind them, his empty eyes staring out into the morning. Sakura was always mystified at how he moved so quietly and easily.

"Know who?" He repeated his question, his tone becoming a little impatient with their lack of answers.

Sakura couldn't help but smile at him. "It's girl talk, Neji-san, and last time I checked, you weren't a girl."

Neji made a thoughtful musing noise in his throat. "It's hard to tell, Haruno. I've been having problems with my sexuality. Would you like to check for me since I can't see?"

Hinata blushed madly at her cousin's crude remarks, but Sakura continued the flirtation. "Dirty thoughts must be going through your head right now."

"Not as dirty as the ones you've been imagining." He replied easily, stumping her once again. When she was silent, he smirked in amusement. "No sharp remarks? I must be right then."

Hinata got up quickly and bowed to the couple. "I will go see Naruto-kun. Thank you, Sakura-chan. You've helped me a lot." She hurried away with a faint tint of pink on her pale face.

Neji loosened his smirk into a half smile before kneeling beside her. "You are going to keep your promise to me, correct?"

She became serious. "Not sleeping well?"

There was silence. "No."

Sakura smiled effortlessly and grasped his hand. "I'll stay for the night and observe. Will that be okay?"

The corners of his lips lifted in a little smile. "You do too much."

"Anything for my wonderful pet patient." She reassured teasingly.

"You are a true blessing, Haruno. It is a wonder what I would do without you. I am honored to be your pet." His sarcasm was not lost on her.

"You're so clever, Hyuuga-sama. All the women in the village would fall for that irresistible charm that you possess." Sakura replied in a sickeningly sugary tone.

"That includes you, too, Haruno?" His voice betrayed nothing of what his words implied.

"Perhaps." She remarked thoughtfully and airily. Before he could reply, "I hope you'll feed me now. I'm rather starving, Neji-san, since I didn't eat breakfast."

Neji shook his head and extended a hand to her. "I was just about to eat."

He led her to the private dining room where the servants had already set up food and were busily setting up another place for the female guest. The brunch quickly passed into late afternoon, where Sakura asked questions about his nightmares while Neji answered them as best he could.

"How frequently do you have these dreams?"

"Almost every night."

Sakura pursed her lips and nodded. "What is the most reoccurring theme in them?"

"Blood, an explosion." He replied dully, trying not to visualize it.

"Is there anyone else besides you?"

"A woman shinobi."

"Can you describe her?"

"Hardly. I can only tell she is a woman is by her stature. Other than that, I can't say."

They carried on their question and answer session on their old spots on the oriental porch in front of Neji's room. Nostalgic memories surrounded them and they were at peace with the world, nothing to take them apart.

"I wonder, Haruno, if I hadn't been blind, would you still visit me and check on me regularly?" Neji mused after awhile. "It's curious to think about."

Sakura closed her eyes. "If you hadn't been blind, would I still visit you and make sure you're okay? I don't know, after all, it was your uncle who asked me to look after you in the first place."

A small chuckle escaped the Hyuuga as he realized the honesty in her words. "It never hurts to lie a little, Haruno." He said with a smile.

"You hate being lied to, Neji-san."

"That is true also." He felt the temperature drop, which signaled the beginning of night. "Come, let's go inside and continue our delightful conversation."

The room was a little cool and Sakura unhurriedly took out a blanket to cover her body while Neji sat in front of her. The kunoichi forgot everything about her life besides Neji, then and there, with him, basking in his silent words and taking comfort from him. Control is what she prided herself on, no matter how much she wanted to touch him, she'd resisted and felt that she respected him too much to violate their private agreement.

"Is something wrong?" Neji's voice suddenly broke her train of thought, and she had to quickly make up a reply not to seem so flustered.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about how a ramen sounds right about now." She smiled easily, perhaps too easily.

Neji glanced around, as if he could see and said in a low voice, "I believe we may sneak out for dinner."

Green eyes sparkled mischievously and she stealthily got up to follow Neji out the door. Her shoes were at the front door, but he provided a pair of wooden sandals for her so that they may secretly go out for ramen at Ichiraku without detection.

The market was busy as usual, people hurrying to their homes for dinner while the pair journeyed to the ramen stand. It's distinct delicious scent of pepper and hot noodles that enticed even the worthiest of adversaries against instant foods.

The scent played with Neji's mind, not having tasted ramen since he last came with Sakura, which was a few years ago. Naruto might keel over in shock if he heard that.

"What kind of ramen do you feel like today, Neji-san?" She asked, ignoring the skip of her heart when she gazed at his peaceful face.

He tapped a finger on the counter. "I will have whatever you are having."

Sakura gave him a pout. "You're no fun, Neji-san. Be adventurous. Pick the craziest thing on the menu."

"Which one would that be?"

She looked over the menu board and grinned. "How about mushroom tofu ramen?"

Neji made a face. "You know I dislike mushrooms."

"What about four cheeses with steak ramen?"

"No," he said with a grimace.

"Never mind then. Simple seafood ramen it is then." Sakura acknowledged.

They ate in silence, both glad to be with each other alone, enjoying a simple meal in their simplistic relationship.

The trip back to the manor was uneventful except when Sakura tripped carelessly and Neji caught her easily, his reflexes sharp and accurate. They stayed that way for many moments but eventually, they awkwardly let each other go, Sakura's face tinted pink in the night.

"I hope you don't mind sleeping in the same room as I am." Neji said as they entered the quiet house. It was dark inside and their footsteps softly padded against the cool wooden floor.

"I don't mind as long as I can observe you. I won't be sleeping tonight anyway."

Neji's face became a little apologetic. "I ask you to do too much."

She grinned. "Yes, you do, but if I didn't want to do it then you wouldn't see me walking to your room. Don't worry. When I don't feel like being helpful, I'll let you know."

His room was beautifully furnished with antique, oriental furniture and his futon was always prepared for him when he slid open the shoji door. The Hyuuga stood still as Sakura made quick preparations for her observation by setting up a small lamp and taking out her notebook and pencil. She allowed him to change—she didn't watch—and Neji gave her a light sleeping yukata to stay comfortable in.

"Now there, Neji-chan, do you need a glass of milk before your go to sleep?" She teased, and surprisingly, Neji smiled his amusement.

"This is rather awkward, isn't it? I feel like a child." He commented as he lay down on his bed.

"Sleep as naturally as you can. I'll look after you." Sakura assured him.

Neji closed his eyes and Sakura watched him relax. She wanted to reach out and run her fingers through his silky hair and touch his smooth face. The eerie, green seal that decorated his forehead seemed to shimmer in the soft light of her lamp, and gradually, the Hyuuga's breathing became deep and steady.

He slept.

* * *

**Ending notes:** Wow, finally. The 7th chapter. I hope this wasn't too much of a disappointment for you all. I thought Neji falling asleep would be a fitting way to end.

Thank you again for all of your comments and reviews.


	9. Chapter 8

**Itonami:** Wow, a full six months of absence. I have finally written another chapter for the enjoyment of my readers with crossed fingers that it is to their satisfaction. It has gotten very hard to update while managing school and too many extra curricular activities. I'm afraid that I've had to sacrifice writing fanfiction in order to achieve good grades. I hope you are able to forgive my selfishness. Here is the eighth chapter of Blind Vision. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 8: Seeing Faith

* * *

"_Neji-san, what do you think of this kimono? Isn't it a bit…not me?" She looked at him with such innocence that he could have disapproved, were it not for the way her eyes shined with happiness. She was dressed in a deep violet kimono, white lilies swirling everywhere, her obi the color of her hair and the overall picture was like a goddess. _

"_It suits you, Haruno." Was all he could say. _

_Sakura smiled softly and drew near him, so near that her body brushed against his. "You can see it?"_

"_I can see you."_

"_Good. I was hoping you could see me on our wedding day." _

_

* * *

_

Sakura finished her writing on her observation notebook as the candle burned low on its stand, and Neji's peaceful, unarmed face put her further at ease.

There had been little to observe during the night, which perplexed her scientific mind. Neji had testified that he had the nightmares every night and there was no reason to lie. So why did he not show any signs of troubled dreams? Dawn was almost over the horizon and Neji had slept soundly without hardly any movement of any kind. She could almost swear that he was about to smile in his sleep once or twice.

She rubbed her eyes tiredly and stretched her cramped muscled lengthily with a comfortable yawn and blew out the dying candle. All of the Hyuuga were early risers and Neji was no exception.

Neji felt strange. Not a bad kind of strange but strangely, uncontrollably good, and it was strange that he felt so refreshed in the morning. His eyes weren't hurting or uncomfortable as they usually were every morning after his terrible nightmares. He had _slept_.

"Well, good morning, Neji-san. Feel oddly out of place today?" Sakura chirped brightly like the robins outside.

He smoothed his hair and unconsciously tugged on his sleeping yukata. "I do feel…nice, for a lack of a better word."

"I will tell you that you didn't have any nightmare activity at all during the entire night." She declared.

The Hyuuga stood upon his futon and rumpled bed sheets. "I apologize for wasting your time. This is the first time in years that I've had such a dreamless sleep."

Sakura waved his apology away with a hand. "Go and wash up. I'll be in here to finish up, and I wouldn't mind breakfast." She flashed a teasing grin at him and Neji smirked before exiting his room.

Yawning widely again—tears gathered at the corners of her eyes—she glanced at the inviting futon. The medic shrugged and crawled into the covers, relishing the warmth that the former occupant left behind. Laying her head on the pillow, she smelled his fresh scent and she couldn't help but giggle at a hint of lavender soap.

"He does love his hair. Do all of the Hyuuga take care of their hair like this?"

The thought was fleeting and brief for she soon fell asleep, wrapped up in his sheets, surrounded by his presence.

Hyuuga Neji opened the door and was a little surprised not to hear her greet him with her cheerful voice. The sound of soft breathing filled the room and he smiled quietly before leaving Sakura to her rest.

He sought out his meditating spot on the porch and breathed in the dewy air, partially wondering if he should wake her. Neji shook his head. She deserved rest, and besides, there was nothing else but breakfast waiting for her. He knew that the hospital didn't require her today, which could mean that he could have her to himself.

Neji paused. The Godaime had spoken to him about the recon mission, and also informed him that Sakura knew about it. She had a brief meeting with the jounins and ANBU who were assigned to it; she had been absent due to an emergency operation on a mortally wounded chuunin. She'd requested that Neji inform Sakura about an official conference since she would be seeing him.

When he went back inside, something in the back of his mind grinned like a mischievous cat as he crept back to his room. He walked ten paces inside and reached the edge of his futon where he decided to sit. It was rather unfortunate that he couldn't see because if he could, he would have stared at her lovely face like the rest of the sappy drama stories. Neji wanted to try something.

It was a project that he had been working on for the past two years for his eyes, and he had made small advancements in seeing. Only glimpses of the world, but he hadn't seen Sakura yet.

The Hyuuga concentrated his chakra into his eyes, feeling the tiny chakra veins around his eyes fill up with feeble amounts of his energy, creating a screen for visual images to be reflected and seen.

_Byakugan!_

Pale gray orbs lightened into a brilliant white, and colors seeped into his sight, partially causing him to wince from the suddenness, but he concentrated as hard as he could. His vision was blurry, but he could see the slender form of the woman that he'd been longing to see since the loss of his sight. Her beautiful pink hair rested against his white pillow and Neji could almost see the outlines of her face, but her eyes were closed away from his line of sight.

The Hyuuga could feel the tightness in his eyes as he used the long forgotten chakra channels, and so he let go of the jutsu, his heart pounding with pride. Five seconds. It was longer than the attempts before. He had waited to attempt the jutsu again when his eyes had hurt less intensely than the previous years before after a nightmare. Neji knew that he had to check with Sakura if it was safe for him to continue to redevelop it, but he didn't know how to go about it.

It was a full three hours before Sakura awoke, and she did with a sudden, hurried way that it almost startled the great Hyuuga patriarch. Almost.

"Kami-sama! What time is it?"

"I wouldn't know. Don't ask a blind man the time. It's rather rude, Haruno." Neji mocked.

The kunoichi stretched her arms over her head and tried to fix her hair. "Why didn't you wake me? Did you eat?"

"Of course, are you hungry?"

She grinned. "A little. Is there something left for me?"

He looked unconcerned. "No, I ate your half too."

"Neji-san, this is how you repay me after I stayed up the entire night looking after you." She pouted.

The Hyuuga closed his eyes. "I will send for lunch."

After the servant came and went, the couple sat in silence as Sakura savored the food. Hyuuga shifted and cleared his throat.

"Sakura…" Neji paused briefly to collect her attention by calling her by her first name and was rewarded with a pair of jewel-like orbs focused on him. "The Godaime has consulted me about a mission. You know about it."

She felt uneasy. "Is this concerning the recent attacks by Orochimaru?"

He nodded curtly. "Then you have read what was inside the folder. The Hokage told me that she gave you one. However, I must tell you that it will be more than just a simple recon mission. Naruto was not particularly happy to know that you were to play a bigger role on this mission than a medic, but we both know that you are one of the best."

Sakura forced a smile, uncomfortable about the fact that Naruto was against her going. "I will do my best, Neji-san."

Neji's eyes softened and his features relaxed into a calm smile. "I knew I could count on you."

A small surge of pleasure bubbled at the pit of stomach at his kind words which in turn slightly flushed her cheeks a slight pink hue. Sakura looked at Neji with concern. "Aren't you worried?"

"Worried about what?"

She bit her lip. "Me?" Her voice seemed to hang in the air, reverberating its uncertainty and apprehensiveness.

He smirked, though it wasn't unkind. "I have faith in you because you have been my guide and partner for the past five years, though it seems as if that time has been a lifetime. I'm afraid you have me wholly dependent on your presence, Haruno. However, I am worried,"—Neji reached for her hand—"that I won't be able to sufficiently protect you."

The kunoichi smiled. "I am reassured, Neji-san. Thank you." The fact that he had cast aside her shaky past of conflict was gladdening to her entire being. Even though _he_ was not worried, Sakura was undoubtedly worried about what could happen.

"Naruto was rather upset that you were to participate in the recon mission. It took me awhile to convince him to change his mind." The Hyuuga said quietly. "He is worried about your mental well-being. I told him that there would be nothing to worry about."

_"Naruto, she is strong enough to overcome this and answer her past."_

_Chilling blue fire seemed to scorch his face as an angry Uzumaki Naruto glared at him. "If anything happens to her, I won't contain myself."_

Sakura patted his hand that had found its way over hers. "I will be fine. You'll see, Neji-san."

Neji couldn't help but smirk at the irony of her words.

He cleared his throat and stood up. "You owe me a bowl of ramen."

"Now I understand why you argued for me. You only wanted me to be grateful so that I would pay for your ramen with my meager wages." Sakura pouted cutely.

The amused Hyuuga laughed aloud. "We will have an official meeting tomorrow at the Hokage Tower in the morning."

* * *

The wind swept past her and the village was not yet awake from its lazy slumber. The sun had barely crept over the top of the horizon, the sky bathed in baby pink with wistful clouds stretching across for miles. Sakura could never fathom how the sky possessed multiple faces akin to people. Perhaps it was a question that the wise Hyuuga Neji could answer. The walk to the Tower was always the same: the little houses and trees lined up in neat, organized rows.

When she entered Tsunade's office, there were chairs already available for ten but only three ninja, excluding her, were present: Naruto, Neji, and Shikamaru.

Naruto was the first to greet her, and he was glad to see that she was healthy and rested, without the marks of stress. Sakura wished she could have said the same, but he had lines of anxiety etched on his youthful face, signifying the tension that he was enduring. He hugged her, easily engulfing her small form into his larger, broader one, and tried a new joke he'd recently encountered in Water Country. Neji gave her a nod and a smile, but conservatively stayed in his seat while his heart pounded furiously with jealousy at the familiar way Naruto could touch her.

Shikamaru acknowledged her dully, his sleep-laden eyes sagging with dark circles that indicated his sleepiness.

"Where is Shishou?" The kunoichi asked the three men in the room.

"I'm guessing she's checking out of the hospital." Naruto shrugged.

Sakura frowned. "How come we aren't having this meeting in her hospital room? It's sound-proof for that purpose and it's large enough to fit all of us."

Neji smirked and some of his old arrogant tone returned as he answered her. "I believe she wanted to get out of the hospital. Any excuse could have been used to escape her prison. This one just seemed the most convenient."

Naruto chuckled. "Plus, she has a secret stash of sake hidden in here somewhere." They—with the tired exception of Shikamaru—knowingly smiled at each other.

The chairs began to fill one by one. Lee, Tenten, Kakashi, Ino, Chouji, Shino, and Anko were all assembled in the room.

At the very second the clock chimed eight o'clock, Tsunade burst into the room. For a woman with a cancer-ridden body, she seemed hearty and unaffected, but everyone knew that every movement caused an agony that only the old woman could know and understand. Her face beamed with her usual smirk and her amber eyes scrutinized all of the assembled shinobi with a familiar intensity that had remained despite the many treatments for her cancer.

"I trust all of you are well." She began. She carefully sat down on her chair and all eyes were worriedly focused on her. The Godaime noticed the intent concern and waved her hand as if to wave it away. "I'm healthy enough now that I'm out of that godforsaken hospital. Anyway, let's get started. Neji, why don't you begin with a brief overview."

The blind ninja stood gracefully and faced them, but his eyes were distant and faraway. "Orochimaru and the Sound Nin have been raiding small villages and have attempted to ally with the Hidden Mist. As of now, they have refused, but we believe there will be an assassination attempt on the Mizukage. We also have reason to believe that Orochimaru is in the Kirigakure. This will be a bodyguard and a recon mission. We will not engage Orochimaru in any way unless he does first."

Tsuande nodded and rested her hands on the desk. "Sakura, I told you in the beginning that this would be a recon mission…because I have put you and Neji charge of your team. Naruto, you will pick four to go with you for the protection of the Mizukage."

Sakura's stomach jolted at the sudden surprise burden of leadership thrown at her feet. She was a great medic and a powerful kunoichi, but she had never led a team. The closest leadership role she ever played was the time when she was trying to organize a trip to the local store for ice cream with other medic students; she had failed miserably.

The meeting was adjourned with everyone given a folder to read over, and they slowly left the room. The rosette stayed to talk with her beloved shishou. She stood in front of the Hokage's desk and waited until everyone had left, all except Neji. He stayed in his seat, his sightless eyes wandering aimlessly around the room.

"Shishou, are you—are you sure about this? You know Neji-san is completely capable—" She started quickly, only to be interrupted by the Godaime.

"I know he is capable. It's just that he requested that you lead a group with him. He believes that _you_ are fully capable. Besides, he made a very convincing argument about how your skills as shinobi can come in handy." Tsunade smiled and winked.

Neji took advantage of the slight pause by further elaborating on what the Hokage had last talked about. "We will be acting. This mission will take several months to complete…and meanwhile, we are to be a happily married couple, a loving wife who take care of her unfortunate, blind husband."

Shock washed over her system as she tried to digest his words. "The recon mission is a stakeout? Months?"

Tsunade glanced at the blind Hyuuga and grinned teasingly. "She's not taking this as well as you thought she would. What are you going to do now?"

Neji stood up, partially worried at how Sakura was motionless and still, and stood beside her. "What is wrong?"

Sakura stared dumbly at him. "Nothing. It's just…awkward for me to imagine…us…living together…as husband and wife." Her apple green orbs swam in confusion.

He smirked at her reaction and calmly explained. "We will be leaving in a few days for the mission, and a house has already been prepared for our use by the Mizukage. We have authentic citizenship papers just in case people become suspicious, which will happen considering that we will be wealthy. With money comes power, and with power come connections and sources that could prove invaluable to us when it comes to staying a step ahead of Orochimaru. This folder," Tsunade quickly handed the stunned Sakura a scroll, "has all of the necessary information that you will need for your act: your background, origin, and name, among other things."

"Why is this so rushed?"

"We have our suspicions that he is planning an assassination soon. We need to find out where he is quartered in Water Country. This will be our scouting mission. You best get ready soon. We will leave tomorrow evening."

"What are the others doing during this?"

Neji tucked his hands into his kimono sleeves. "They are our lookout and suppliers. They will be playing their own roles in this mission. Our mission is this."

Sakura nodded but still looked hesitant and it showed when she frowned and pursed her delicates lips together in deep thought. The Hyuuga was a little puzzled at her uncertainty and the battle of emotions that seemed to rage within her chakra.

"Come, I'll take you home." He said as he headed for the door. Tsunade watched them leave, her keen amber eyes following the confident strides of the blind man and the young woman trailing behind him.

Once outside in the sun, Hyuuga Neji quirked an eyebrow at the sudden depression of Sakura's charka, confused at the strange displays of sudden emotions. "Is this a mission that you'd rather not do?" He asked calmly, his tenor voice resonating through Sakura's frame.

She resisted the urge to shudder and ridiculed herself for overacting to a simple mission. "No, Neji-san, I'm just trying to get used to the idea of us living together."

He smirked at her, his sightless orbs wandering left and right. "It's not as if we are strangers. It is one reason why I requested you."

Again, something jumped inside of her chest when he said those words. "I'm going to be alright as long as you buy me some ice cream."

Neji nodded with a tiny hint of a smile. "Ice cream it is."

The ice cream shop was located near Sakura's apartment and it was decided to take the newly bought dessert there for the two of them to enjoy privately. Sakura carried the bag of ice cream treats because Neji seemed awfully awkward holding it beside a woman who could pass for a teenager. He could feel her chakra level returning to normal balance and he grew calmer at the news. It had been nerve racking to feel the confused vibes washing over him.

Her apartment was something that was easily familiar to the Hyuuga. He had visited numerous times for treatment, tea, dinner, and missions. He breathed in the fresh scent of flowers as she unlocked the creaky door and led him inside.

They sat on the couch together, Sakura eagerly opening the tub of ice cream and offering Neji a spoon. She scooped up a spoonful of the black raspberry chocolate chip ice cream and inserted it into her mouth, her tongue blissfully swirling around it, savoring its sweetness and delectable creaminess. Neji felt her relax as she ate her treat, her whole figure almost literally melting with ecstasy.

"You enjoy it this much?"

"Hai, Neji-san. I'll get you to understand the goodness of this treat from heaven some day." Sakura fed him some with his spoon which he obediently took without reluctance.

Surprisingly, the taste was agreeable with his taste buds and he nodded a little in his approval. "Raspberry and chocolate. It is an interesting combination."

Sakura, delighted with the prospect of earning the approval of a very sensitive Hyuuga, grinned with happiness and fed him another bite. "If we never get to do this again, I'm glad it was today."

The man betrayed a look of astonishment. "What do you mean?"

"The mission."

Neji unconsciously drew his eyebrows together and remained silent as he thought about what she was trying to say. "Let's change the topic. We will discuss it further on the way there. I will come pick you up at six. You need to memorize your background by then and destroy the scroll. We can't risk any mistakes." He abruptly got up.

"Will you be going now?" She asked, startled by his sudden decision.

"Hai, I need to work out the final details for tomorrow. I will see you tomorrow." With grace, he found his way out of her apartment, and as soon as her scent of flowers disappeared from his senses, he wished to go back to bathe in it. His heart was pounding painfully.

_Was it something that she said? What did she mean? I don't understand_.

As always, destiny refused to work for him.

* * *

The next morning, Sakura woke up early and sighed at the reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her sad, emerald eyes glanced at the black hair dye sitting beside the sink. Quietly taking hold of it, she gazed at herself in the mirror once more. "I guess this is good bye to Haruno Sakura and hello to Matsui Takara."

In the evening, a beautifully sad figure stood waiting outside of her apartment building dressed in a pretty kimono while her mind was rushing through the various pieces of information about the character she would have to flawlessly play. The new house was to have all of the possessions of the wife of a wealthy merchant and businessman: exquisite kimonos, expensive make up, priceless jewels, and servants. She would have to bring it to life with feminine grace, devotion, submission, and excellent charisma.

To her left, a carriage rattled toward her pulled by four handsome horses. She tried in vain to conceal her surprise when the majestic carriage stopped in front of her and the small door opened to reveal a very different Hyuuga Neji. His hair was still brown, but his white eyes were now a natural dark gray. The change of eye color itself transformed him to look like a completely different person.

"Ready?"

Matsui Takara turned to draw in all of the images of her beloved Konoha before taking Neji's outstretched hand. "I'm ready, Neji-san."

* * *

**End of chapter notes:** Too boring, right? Well, I hope it will get better as a new arc will begin. Months of living together, Orochimaru, Sakura's uncertainty regarding Sasuke…this will be fun.


	10. Chapter 9

**Beginning notes:** Wow, finally, and update. A new arc, and I hope you enjoy. Some sweet conflicts coming your way!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 9: Seeing New Life

* * *

Two days on the road, dawn was settling and the carriage was headed toward the edge of Fire Country to the east, where land ended to meet the strip of water that separated it from Water Country. The carriage interior was plush but still uncomfortable as they made their journey together. Sakura, presently playing the role of the wife of a wealthy merchant, fingered her black locks with a tinge of sadness—no matter how much her pink hair had stood out, she had loved it because it made her unique. Neji, who was pretending to be the wealthy merchant by the name of Matsui Hizashi, sensed her mood change as she sighed as if weighed down with a heavy burden.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing, Neji-san."

Neji eased back in his seat across from her and closed his eyes to meditate. "I did not realize that we would become so awkward with the prospect of living each other looming ahead."

Sakura, or rather, Matsui Takara, threw him a glare. "I just need time to adjust, Neji-san."

"Well, you can start by calling me by your husband's name." He said without moving a muscle.

Without wanting to, she flushed but did not know why. She heaved another sigh and nodded before suddenly realizing that he had taken his father's name. "Why did you decide to take your father's name?"

There was a pause while Neji thought about her question. "Perhaps I felt safer taking my father's name. It was the first name that came to my mind. It would help me take precautions so that I do not dishonor it in any way while I am in Water Country."

"Did you pick my name?"

There was a hint of reminisce in his small smile. "My father once told me that it was the name of his very first love."

Sakura grew curious. "Takara? Who was it? What happened between them?"

"They met when my father was a teenager. He was among the many participants for the jounin exams. Takara was a year younger but she also there to take the tests. My father said she was extraordinarily beautiful with black hair and gray eyes. For the jounin exams, they had to have a battle much like the ones we had for the chuunin exams." He cleared his throat. "They were to battle each other, and so they did, and my father came out on top.

"However, during the battle when he used a kaiten, stray shrapnel of the broken floor hit her in the eyes which caused her to go blind. After the battle, she was taken to the hospital and he decided to apologize to her. When he realized that he ruined all of her chances of becoming a kunoichi, he took care of her and helped her to recover. Soon, they fell in love but the Hyuuga clan refused to accept her as a part of the family. With no special bloodline and eyesight, she would be useless in the Branch House's duty to protect the Main House."

Sakura moved so that she was sitting next to him and grasped his hand. "And then?"

Neji turned to face her, his gray eyes bittersweet. "My father once told me that the greatest regret of his life was not to run away and marry her. My father and my mother were arranged to be married soon after the family saw what kind of woman he wanted to marry. Fortunately, the two of them were childhood friends so they did get along while my father was still alive."

"What happened to Takara?" Sakura felt a growing dread creep upon her.

"It is said that she disappeared. No one really knows what happened to her." The words sent a small shiver down her spine in apprehension.

The blind man gently squeezed her hand to reassure her. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"Neji…I mean, Hizashi-san, I hope we will go on being friends. I don't really want to end up like your father."

He nodded firmly. "We won't."

Sakura let out a breath of relief. "I think we can pull this off. Let's do our best."

Neji longed to touch her face but he restrained himself by changing the subject. "I can smell the sea."

Indeed, the salty spray of the sea was evident even to Sakura and it was fresh like the first breath of oxygen to one's lungs after holding her breath for a long time. She opened the small carriage window and let her hair fly with the wind, her eyes beholding the approaching waters with delight and happiness. It had been a long time since she got to see the untainted ocean, and the color matched her eyes almost to the very shade and hue. The rising sun lit up the sparkling surface with orange, creating an interesting mix of colors, all of them vibrant and beautiful in their own way.

There was a sense of calm as the carriage eventually stopped at a ferry that waited to take them across the sea. Neji adjusted his clothes while Sakura did the same. Their new lives would start from here; as soon as they would step foot outside of the carriage, Neji was going to be a helpless blind man and Sakura would be his wife that would have to guide him through the long months ahead. But they trusted each other and they knew each other too well. Neji was on unfamiliar ground anyway and needed Sakura to guide him.

Sakura got out of the carriage first and helped Neji by taking hold of his elbow like the old times. She linked arms with him and carefully led him down a safe path to board their ferry, her free hand holding up her kimono so that it was kept from dragging on the ground.

The captain of the ferry boat eyed his rich customers and immediately bowed to them. He was a big man dressed in a working peasant clothing and he wore a tattered hat which did not fit very comfortably on his square head. His eyes were kind and as blue as the sky, and his hair was unruly with the constant wind and ocean spray around him. His voice was gruff and scratchy as he spoke. "Welcome abroad. This journey will take most of the day, so your cabin is ready for you and if you'd follow me, I will take you to it."

Playing the ever gracious wife, Sakura bowed prettily. "Thank you, sir. That would be appreciated. My husband is rather exhausted from the carriage ride."

Neji gave the man a fake, easy smile. "My wife exaggerates. I slept all the way through the ride. The smell of the sea brings back memories."

As the captain led the way, he gave them a curious look. "Where are you from, sir? It's not common to see such a lovely couple on board."

"We are citizens of the Mist, but we moved to Fire Country when I lost my eyesight." He answered with practiced ease. "My father just recently passed away and willed me his estate and business." Sakura could not help but be impressed with his acting abilities.

"Here we are." The captain opened a worn door, but the room was nicely decorated and clean for their use.

Sakura bowed again to the captain. "Thank you kindly."

"If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ring the bell." He left with a small incline of his head and left while closing the door behind him.

Neji wrinkled his nose. "It smells of smoke."

The kunoichi nodded. "Perhaps the occupants before us were smoking in the room."

He seated himself on the couch and yawned. "The carriage is an awful mode of transportation. Remind me avoid it by any means possible."

She giggled and sat down beside Neji who was resting his eyes. She automatically reached out to guide his relaxed form down on her lap so that his head was resting on it. She played with strands of his long hair and traced the outlines of his jaw. "Sleep, Hizashi-san."

Another carriage awaited their arrival in Water Country at which Neji sighed and reluctantly agreed to ride. The roads were surprisingly well paved and less rocky, but Sakura wished that she could say for the neighborhood around them. The outskirts of their town were run down and meager compared to the rich district at the heart of the town, where they were headed. She watched the little children play in the street, all of them wearing tattered kimonos she hardly considered suitable for even dogs.

The slums then passed into a beautiful area where the people of Water Country had ingeniously created a system of irrigation to water an expansive garden all around the rich district. Gorgeous flowers bloomed everywhere along the roads.

"You seem like you're enjoying yourself." Neji said as he sat back in the carriage.

Sakura giggled. "It is beautiful, Hizashi-san."

"I believe our house should be upon a hill. I have been told that it is surrounded by a garden, and a small waterfall should be located near it."

Her eyes searched for his description, and she soon spotted the waterfall. She gasped at the splendid sight of nature while Neji picked the sound of the rushing waters of the waterfall.

They arrived at the manor, much like the Hyuuga manor, and Sakura led her pseudo husband inside, arm in arm. The beautiful polished floors sparkled in the sunlight streaming in from the open shoji doors, and fresh air hinted with vanilla permeated the air. Neji almost smiled unconsciously at the smell. It was a pleasant odor.

"Matsui-sama, your luggage has been placed in your room. This way." A servant ushered the couple through the manor, pointing out various rooms of importance, to their private quarters.

Sakura, still toying with the pretense of a rich woman, waved the servant away before she slid the door closed. She let out a heavy sigh. Neji sensed her depressed mood and also let out a sigh.

"It will take some getting used to." He said quietly. Sakura looked at him; he was so calm and so controlled.

"So, what's next?"

Neji looked at her with a straight face. "A gala."

The kunoichi did a double take and blinked. "A gala?"

"Yes, Takara, it is an event where spoiled rich people like to dance and socialize with each other in pointless conversations and flattery." He said sardonically, letting his sarcasm show. "It is also when our team will survey the people around us and try to find out information about Orochimaru's whereabouts."

Sakura bit her lip. "So early? I haven't had a chance to fit into my role yet."

"Then you should work on that for the next two days. The gala will have the pretense of a fashionable neighborhood party since we are the newcomers. Apparently, it is a tradition around these parts."

She sighed again. "This is going to be fun."

* * *

The couple spent the next two days rehearsing their parts and familiarizing themselves with the house. Sakura watched Neji work out the precise amount of steps it took from one end of the hallway to the other and which doors led to which room. He quickly learned everything about the huge manor since it was similar to the Hyuuga mansion.

The day of the gala finally came, the servants bustling about the place getting everything organized and decorated with Sakura's careful guidance. Neji decided to let his pretend wife handle everything and meditate. Besides, he was supposed to play the helpless blind man who could only rely on his wife.

The event was to take place in the evening and it was late afternoon. Neji would have to get dressed and ready to take on a full night of superfluous flattery and vanity, where he would also have to pretend that he was one of them. Indeed, it was going to be a rough night.

He wandered into the main room where Sakura was instructing several butlers to put down the silverware and plates on the long, low dinner table. He could hear her telling them to put them precisely in place with the exact measurements that they were to be away from each other. He smirked. She was definitely enjoying this new authority.

"Takara."

Sakura jumped in surprise and turned to see him in the doorway. "Oh, Hizashi-san, what is it?"

"My clothes are not laid out in the room. I don't know what I am wearing."

She smiled and took his elbow. "Then let's go pick something out."

Their large closet was a smaller room that was adjacent to their bedroom. Sakura rummaged through the mass amounts of fabulous clothing (most of them belonging to the Hyuuga clan anyhow) and picked out a formal navy blue kimono for him to wear. She carefully took it back into the room where Neji stood waiting for her near their futon bed.

There was an awkward pause.

"Should I help you?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

He smirked. "You offer to take off my clothes?"

She blushed furiously but with her head held high, she said boldly, "I am, after all, your wife."

Neji could not help but bow to her politely with the same, teasing smile on his face. "By all means, proceed."

Sakura stepped closer and her tiny hands trembled as they reached to undo the sash around his waist that kept his traditional yukata closed. She looked into his deep gray eyes and found herself missing their pale ivory color; somehow, Neji was not Neji without his white eyes. She slowly breathed in as the sash slowly loosened from his thin waist and the yukata fell open in front of her eyes, revealing his tone upper body. It was true that she had seen him shirtless countless times, but the circumstances seemed to make the moment different than it had been. Her heart beat faster and the color rose on her cheeks, and she hoped that Neji could not feel hear her heart beating loudly in her chest.

She laid down the yukata on the futon and picked up the formal kimono. She stepped behind him and held it open while Neji searched for the sleeves with his arms in order slip his arms through them. Neji almost shivered at the warmth of her fingers when he brushed by them accidentally. She tied the silk sash around his thin waist.

The encounter was over. Both relief and disappointment flooded through them at the same time.

The first guests arrived and by seven o'clock, the gala was in full bloom.

The evening progressed further, and Sakura led Neji, arm in arm, to greet the numerous guests as they stood in the great expanse of the living room. Their chakra concealed and their guises perfectly in place, it came time for them to play each of their roles to absolute perfection that the situation required.

Sakura smiled her reserved, pretty smile for the guests that they were entertaining, her eyes still searching their faces for some sort of recognition when she slipped out a mention of the Sound Village. Her character was superficial on all levels, but she knew how women gossiped. She used that flirtatious tone with the men in the room, her pretty face attracting their eyes and also their information to her.

The Hyuuga, on the other hand, was supposed to play the business part of their partnership. With his connections, he could find out what the wealthy business men feared about their businesses. He got a handful of rumors that sounded suspicious and thus made capable, mental notes of each of them to discuss later with the entire group.

However, as the gala went on, he seemed to focus more on Sakura's actions as she acted out the part of a gracious hostess. Her laughter, though mostly fake, rang like bells in his ears, and her subtle flirtatiousness distracted him from his own conversation at times. He could not see, and therefore, his blindness helplessly increased the sensitivity of all the others. He was noticing the expensive perfume of the ladies around him, and the smell of cigars that wafted throughout the room like incense. But with her next to him, he oddly grew more and more possessive (why does that word sound so wrong?) and insecure (was a Hyuuga ever insecure?) as he noticed that more men than women were in at the party.

After the socializing, dinner was to be served, and as a traditional Japanese dinner, people were seated at a long, low table made of mahogany. Neji was seated at the head of the table with Sakura at his right hand so that she could help him with his dishes and eating utensils. People conversed easily with each other, laughing and joking emptily, while Sakura had to act like Neji could not feed himself. She pulled it off without appearing too awkward, and it was really the Hyuuga that had the most difficulty trying make it seem like he was incapable of feeding himself. The two shinobi knew that their act was drawing sympathy from the others, which would allow them to break into their circle of social elitism.

"Matsui-sama, there is a guest awaiting permission to enter." A servant bowed. All eyes traveled to the head of the table.

Neji drew himself up by straightening his back and he nodded to the servant. "Of course, a guest is a guest. Please, show him inside and prepare another place for him at the table."

The shoji door slowly slid open to reveal their tardy guest, and before she knew it, Sakura let out a small gasp of terror and surprise.

The guest was tall, his rich black hair rather disheveled, and he wore a deep blue kimono that almost matched his depthless ebony eyes. They slowly swept the room, observing each face with care, until they came upon Sakura's emerald ones. He bent at his waist in a graceful bow, and his face was dull and without expression.

"Excuse my tardiness. I am Uchiha Sasuke."

The room exploded with quiet whispers, and Neji remained calm even when he felt Sakura tremble beside him. He searched for her hand and found it, and he squeezed gently to reassure her. The host nodded.

"Welcome, Uchiha-san. Please, sit." He said formally, careful not to show any appearance of being surprised. He felt Sakura trying to regain her composure as the Uchiha took his seat at an empty spot across from her.

She swallowed to wet her dry mouth and forced a pretty smile on her face. "To what do we owe the honor of your presence?"

Sasuke stared at her calmly. "I came to pay my respects."

She was growing suspicious. "Are you quite alone, Uchiha-san?"

"Yes."

Neji narrowed his eyes minimally in disbelief before calling his guests to continue eating, all the while a familiar burning sensation of jealousy flamed in the pit of his stomach. Sakura felt uncomfortably vulnerable before him and she took comfort in the fact that she had a capable shinobi like Neji beside her.

"You remind me of someone I once knew, Uchiha-san." Sakura said before taking a small bite of rice.

Sasuke met her eyes with his own steady gaze before he bowed his head politely. "Your eyes remind me of someone I knew also."

The Hyuuga bit his tongue to keep from snapping a biting remark. The burning sensation grew hotter. _It's natural for a man to get jealous over his wife._

_But she's not _technically_ your wife._

"Uchiha-san, may I ask where you live? Perhaps I can do some business with you."

The other male shook his head. "My partner is more interested in business than I am."

"Oh? What is the name of your partner? Perhaps I know him."

Before Sasuke could reply, a man next to Sakura quipped in, "You must be talking about Orochimaru. Matsui-san, you'll only get into trouble if you deal with him."

Sakura felt a murderous aura shift higher from across the table, and she quickly squeezed Neji's hand to resolve the issue before someone got hurt. "Of course I heard of Orochimaru. Indeed, that leads me to know a little bit about you too, Uchiha-san." The Hyuuga said smoothly.

Sasuke turned his attentions away from the unfortunate man and his gaze darkened. "They told me you were blind."

The hostess noticed the way he quickly changed the topic away from himself.

Neji smiled. "I hope that doesn't bother you."

"No, but I would have no purpose if I were to be blind."

"I had thought the same until a certain woman helped me realize that my sight was not the end of my world."

Sakura tried not to blush.

The Uchiha looked at her again. "If you had the choice between your wife and all the money you could have, which would you choose?"

Her blood froze in her veins. Her eyes grew wide, but Neji did not skip a beat.

"My wife, of course." His tone was firm like rock.

"I would choose money." Sasuke said bluntly. Sakura felt her heart shrink a couple of inches.

Neji voiced the question that was ringing inside her head. "Why?"

"Because with money comes power, and power provides me what I need. I could buy a wife if I wanted." His eyes swam with nothingness, and they scared her like nothing had scared her before.

The Hyuuga felt like punching his face; though he couldn't see it, he could clearly imagine it, just like how he could clearly imagine the hurt look on Sakura's face. His festering anger simmered quietly beneath his calm exterior.

They did not pursue the issue any further, and dinner was over after another tortuous hour for Sakura, sitting across from the man she had been loving throughout her life. She watched him bow to her and slowly walk away, his steady gait still unchanged fro how she remembered it to be from their days at the academy. She felt like crying.

After the gala was over, the couple retired to their room, and Sakura was wordless as they changed. Neji could literally feel the heavy, brooding silence in the room.

"I did not expect him to show his face so soon. Orochimaru must be getting desperate."

Sakura only nodded in response, something that he couldn't see, and therefore, he thought that she was purposefully ignoring him. "Sakura, if you cannot handle this mission, then I will send you home."

"I can handle it." She said rather unconvincingly.

"We have to go to a business meeting tomorrow. I think Uchiha will be there with Orochimaru. The rest of our team will be there with us. You don't have to worry about him."

"It's not him I'm worried about."

Neji remained in an angry silence.

Sakura let out a small chuckle. "He already chose power over me. What can I do?"

_Forget him_. A part of him thought.

She sighed. "Forgetting him seems like a good idea."

_A very good idea._ He goaded.

"I'm sorry, Neji-san, I'm making you uncomfortable."

He waited for Sakura to crawl into her futon, and he tucked her in. "Get some rest. I'm going to meditate."

And he left her to her thoughts so that he could battle with his own.

* * *

**Ending notes:**Okay, finished. So this chapter pretty much sucked because I wrote over a long period of time, so it skipped around a lot. My mind just got stuck, then thought of something, then got stuck again, and so on. Forgive me, but I wanted to update what I could.

Review!


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